Former President Goodluck Jonathan has declared that any leader who does not be carried out must be voted outside his position if appropriate elections were held.
Speaking in the 2025 edition of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF) Dialogue of Democracy at Accra, Ghana, Jonathan described electoral manipulation as one of the greatest threats to democracy in Africa, warning that unless interested parties join to rethink and reform democratic processes, democracy itself can collapse in the continent.
Jonathan emphasized the need for a democratic system that guarantees a better future for the children of Africa, where their voices really matter.
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He highlighted how electoral systems are often manipulated to allow leaders to adhere to power by all means, despite the low performance and will of the people.
“If we had adequate elections, a leader who does not work would be voted,” he said.
He added that African citizens want their votes to count and seek equitable representation, inclusion, good education, security, medical care, jobs and dignity, basic needs that many leaders have not been able to provide, leaving the population disappointed.
The former president also spoke about the encouraging increase in youth participation in governance, but emphasized the importance of combining youth energy with the wisdom and experience of major generations for effective leadership.
The event saw contributions from other prominent African leaders, including the president of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, and former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo.
Mahama warned that democracy in Africa would not survive without active efforts to protect and strengthen it.
He asked for a restart in democracy and government to guarantee responsibility, noting that citizens are tired of corruption, bad government and lack of opportunities. Mahama stressed the fundamental role of institutions, development, education and a free press, registering the “immune system of democracy” of the media, in the maintenance of democratic governance.
Obasanjo, who presided over the event, described current democratic practices in Africa as a need for unsustainable and urgent reform.
The dialogue also presented comments from the president of the Commission of the CEDEA, Dr. Omar Turay, and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Diocese of Sokoto, among others, all agreed that democracy must go beyond the elections to cover the responsibility, the provision of services and the discipline.
The democracy dialogue of the Jonathan Goodluck Foundation reaffirmed the shared conviction that for democracy in Africa prosper, the reforms must ensure that leaders remain responsible to people and that democratic institutions are strengthened to offer peace, development and opportunities for all.
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