Nigeria’s leadership crisis has pushed the country to the brink, and only a reinvention of political leadership and governance can restore hope, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders and scholars declared at the inaugural African Institute for Statecraft International (AISI) lecture in Abuja.
The event, themed “Reinventing Political Leadership and Democratic Governance,” became a rallying call for reform, with speakers warning that weak institutions, reckless borrowing, and personality-driven politics were eroding democracy and deepening poverty.
Acting PDP National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum, represented by Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Ibrahim Abdullahi, said Nigeria’s governance failures had left citizens in “a state of national shock,” likening it to being betrayed by “a lover who promised everything but delivered nothing.” He blamed poor leadership recruitment, lack of preparation, and the absence of civil service retraining for the nation’s woes.
Former Deputy National Chairman of PDP, Chief Olabode George, represented by Hon. Dare Adeleke, condemned what he called “personality-driven governance,” warning that sycophancy and reckless borrowing were replacing discipline and accountability. “Until we restore discipline in governance and society, we cannot move forward,” he said.
PDP chieftain Chief Segun Sowunmi described Nigeria’s democracy as facing an existential crisis, citing dwindling voter participation, deepening ethnic divisions, and lack of succession planning. “In 2023, 93 million registered to vote but less than 25 million participated. That is a crisis of confidence,” he noted, urging mentorship and inclusivity to restore trust in democracy.
The host and AISI CEO, Adai Edwin Adai, was commended for establishing the institute as a platform for leadership innovation. Damagum hailed AISI as “a ranging room of history where we begin to reimagine leadership and manufacture the Nigeria of our dreams.”
Speakers were unanimous that unless urgent reforms in leadership, training, and accountability are embraced, Nigeria risks sliding further into poverty, instability, and disunity.