The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), an election support group, has expressed the fears that West African subregion is sliding to military dictatorship.
Many countries in the West African subregion had in the 1990s, embraced civil democracy through selection of their leaders through adult suffrage.
But the centre’s dlDirector, Dr Dauda Garuba, in a statement issued on Sunday, stated that fears of unconstitutional takeover of governance spaces across the region have become rife.
“It is also quite worrisome that in recent years, West Africa has witnessed a rise in anti-democratic tendencies, reversal of democratic gains and the erosion of civil liberties and civic freedoms,” he stated.
Garuba noted that coups in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Niger point to a growing disillusionment with governance systems.
He regretted the failure of those systems to address the issues, which matter the most to the ordinary people of the region.
“This wide range of challenges include the grinding poverty, economic inequality, corruption, and security challenges,” he stated.
According to him, even recent salutary events in countries with resilient systems, such as Senegal, have shown that democracy is not a destination but a continued decision by the people who practise it to push for its incremental improvement.
The Director added that to address the troubling trend of reversals in democratic gains in West Africa, there is an urgent need to strengthen institutions and processes at the heart of democratic development.
“CDD West Africa urges countries in the region to reaffirm constitutional order by committing to upholding the rule of law and constitutional term limits.
“Democratic transitions should be safeguarded from manipulation that leads to power entrenchment and all shades of constitutional coups.
“Furthermore, political systems must become more inclusive by ensuring representation for all sectors of society, particularly women, youth, and marginalised groups.
“Such inclusivity fosters legitimacy and trust in governance,” he said.
Dr. Garuba called for strengthening of electoral integrity, to enhance free, fair, and transparent elections, which he said, are the backbone of democracy.
He also called for the empowerment of electoral bodies in the subregion, as well as electoral reforms and the prioritisation of transparency and accountability.
“Equally important is the need for West Africa to bolster regional cooperation,” he said, and urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) to revamp and re-energise collective efforts to ensure compliance with democratic norms, and provide technical and political support to fragile democracies.
The director also said press freedom in Nigeria has worsened over the years, with the country’s press freedom score dropping from 65.9 out of 100 in 2013 to 51.03 out of 100 in 2024.
He regretted the decline of press freedom in West Africa, with several countries restricting media independence and suppressing critical voices.
Garuba pointed out that journalists in Benin Republic, Senegal, and Sierra Leone, face increasing threats of detention, harassment, and censorship, which he added, stifle the free flow of information that is vital for accountable governance.
He said there is urgent need for reforms, and called for “a vibrant civil society and a free press … for holding leaders accountable,” and demanded the repeal of repressive laws targeting civic and efforts towards creating an enabling environment for dialogue, advocacy, and media freedom.
“Added to this is the dire need to address the threat posed by information manipulation and the spread of disinformation.
“These manipulated narratives have tended to suggest that democracy is a failing system that will not take the people of West Africa towards the realisation of their manifest destiny.
“Through collective initiatives, such malign narratives, either from domestic and foreign influence actors should be debunked, while legal systems should be strengthened to ensure technology companies on whose platforms disinformation spread are held to account,” he stated.