Bode George Calls for Strong Institutions to Safeguard Democracy
Elder statesman and former deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has expressed deep concern over the increasing strain on Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
He warned that treating opposition voices as enemies rather than participants in the democratic process erodes the very strength of democracy. According to George, the true measure of a democracy lies not in the power of those who govern but in the robustness of the institutions that restrain that power.
“The strength of a democracy is not measured by the power of those who govern. It is measured by the strength of the institutions that restrain power. For democracy survives on confidence. Confidence in the rule of law. Confidence in the impartiality of institutions. Confidence that justice will neither be delayed nor denied. Confidence that public authority will always remain subject to constitutional restraint. Once citizens begin to lose confidence in institutions, the foundations of democratic governance begin to weaken.”
He added that history offers a clear warning: when political competition weakens, institutions lose impartiality, opposition is seen as hostile, or citizens believe outcomes are predetermined, public confidence deteriorates. No patriot should accept a Nigeria where democratic choice is an illusion, institutions are viewed through partisan lenses, or power substitutes for legitimacy. Institutions must endure; when they falter, nations suffer, justice appears selective, and democracy comes under pressure.
George concluded with a sobering reminder: “History teaches us that nations rarely lose their way suddenly. They lose their way when corruption becomes normal. When injustice becomes acceptable. When power becomes more important than principle. When citizens become indifferent to the gradual erosion of the values upon which great nations are built. The real danger facing a nation is not merely corruption. It is the normalisation of corruption. The real danger is not merely injustice. It is the acceptance of injustice. The real danger is not merely the abuse of power. It is the silence of good people in the face of abuse.”
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