By joshua “Elections Alone Not Enough for Democracy” — Prof. Musa Tells Kogi NGOs at 2026 AGM
The Department of Political Science, Federal University Lokoja, has called for a “sustainable partnership” among government, electoral institutions and civil society to deepen Nigeria’s democracy beyond voting.
The call was made by Prof. Abraham Musa Peter in a keynote address delivered at the 2026 Annual General Meeting of Kogi NGOs Network held on Thursday, 20th August, 2026 at New Modern Age Hall, Opposite NYSC Secretariat, Ganaja Junction, Lokoja.
Speaking on the theme: “Elections, Civil Society and Governance: The Need for Sustainable Partnership”, Prof. Musa said while Nigeria has recorded the longest uninterrupted democratic rule since 1999, the country is still practicing “procedural rather than substantive democracy.”
According to him, elections must be free, fair, credible and inclusive, but democracy must also deliver social justice, human development, economic inclusion and responsive governance.
“Elections give citizens the power to choose. Civil society gives citizens the capacity to organise. Governance determines how power is exercised. Accountability ensures that power remains connected to the public interest,” he stated.
On Civil Society
Prof. Musa described civil society as an indispensable partner, not an enemy of the state. He said NGOs must not become active “only when elections are approaching” but must engage in the entire democratic cycle: _pre-election, election, post-election, governance, accountability, and reform.
He listed key roles of civil society to include civic education, election observation, advocacy, accountability, conflict prevention and amplifying the voices of marginalized groups.
On Governance and Partnership, the don noted that a major weakness in Nigeria’s democracy is the “accountability gap” between citizen choice at election time and citizen influence during governance.
To bridge this, he proposed a “Sustainable Democratic Partnership Model” built on six pillars: Electoral Integrity, Civic Participation, Institutional Accountability, Inclusive Governance, Evidence-Based Policy, and Continuous Dialogue.
He further recommended 10 actions including institutionalizing government–civil society dialogue, strengthening electoral institutions, promoting open government, supporting grassroots organizations, and creating a post-election accountability culture.
Citing Afrobarometer data, Prof. Musa said 64% of Nigerians still prefer democracy despite concerns about corruption and governance. “Citizens may be dissatisfied with the performance of democracy without necessarily rejecting democracy itself. The appropriate response should therefore be democratic reform rather than democratic retreat,” he added.
He charged stakeholders to move “from election-day participation to continuous civic engagement” and “from periodic democratic rituals to a permanent democratic culture.”
“Let us build a partnership in which government listens, civil society monitors, academia provides evidence, the media informs, political parties compete responsibly, and citizens participate continuously,” Prof. Musa concluded.
The AGM was attended by representatives of NGOs, academia, media, and other stakeholders across Kogi State.