Headline
Coup: Uproar Over Obasanjo’s ‘Rethink Democracy’ Stand
Published
2 years agoon
By
Editor
The return of coups in some African countries has created global jitters on the grounds that the epidemic of military intervention in the continent could spread more and ultimately imperil democracy.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is no less worried about the ugly development and shared his concerns in an interview with TheCable. Asked what type of democracy would work for us in Africa, Obasanjo replied: “I don’t know. But we have seen that the liberal type of democracy as practised in the West will not work for us.
We have to put our heads togethe.
Former Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and a leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the ruling party at the federal level, weighed-in on the Obasanjo stand, saying: “Today, I read former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s interview saying our liberal democracy is not working and we need to revisit it, and I agree with him. We must move from the political alternatives. I think we are almost on a dead end of that.
“What we need is alternative politics, and my own notion of alternative politics is that you can’t have 35 per cent of the vote and take 100 per cent. It won’t work! We must look at proportional representation so that the party that is said to have won 21 per cent of the votes will have 21 per cent of the government. Adversary politics bring division and enmity”. In this package, professor of international law and jurisprudence, Akin Oyebode; Bola Akinterinwa, professor of international relations at Achievers University, Owo; public policy expert, Faculty Member at the Lagos Business School and Head, Centre for Applied Economics, Pan African University, Dr. Austin Nweze; and Nigeria’s former Career Ambassador to Thailand, Olufunso Olumoko, react to the position of the former President. Excerpts of the Obasanjo interview:
READ ALSO: DSS Reportedly Arrests CBN Deputy Gov Over Alleged Fraud
Increasingly, we are witnessing an era of military coups in Africa again. What do you think is going on?
In 2021, when Col Mamady Doumbouya overthrew President Alpha Condé of Guinea, I recall that I travelled to Conakry. I spent two nights there. The coup leader didn’t want to meet with me because he didn’t know what I would say. They said he was out of town, which was not true. But I met every other important government official.
I met his No 2 and his speaker. I listened to them and concluded that we had a new phenomenon on our hands. I realised that they had the support of the youths and were not thinking of staying in power for four, five years. They are in for a generation. When I noticed this, I went to Addis Ababa to meet the chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat.
I told him that maybe he had not seen what I was seeing. That I saw this in Guinea Conakry. He said I was talking about Guinea Conakry, what about his own country, Chad? He said Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea Conakry, and Chad were thinking the same way and they were connected.
READ ALSO: Woman Seeks Financial Assistance From Ogun Govt, Philanthropists For Kidney Transplant
I said that was a new phenomenon in Africa. I said I was the one who in 1999 advocated that if you are not a government backed by the constitution, you should be suspended from the African Union, and these chaps don’t even mind any suspension.
I told him that all the instruments we had used in the past would not work and asked what he would do about it. He told me about his challenges, especially with his country.
So we have a situation where we have a continent where we have to rethink democracy. The liberal democracy we are copying from settled societies in the West won’t work for us.
What type of democracy would work for us?
I don’t know. But we have seen that the liberal type of democracy as practised in the West will not work for us. We have to put our heads together.
Some would say it is working in Nigeria, that it has survived 24 years…
I won’t answer you (laughs).
But what can work?
You have to put your heads together to fashion it out. You can give it any name. But we have seen that this is not working. Out of the six countries that have experienced coups, three of them are directly from elections. Burkina Faso, Guinea Conakry, and Gabon that we have just had are directly from elections. The other three are indirect, if you like.
READ ALSO: Being Elderly Looks Like Death Sentence In Nigeria – Don
Would you say ECOWAS could have handled the Niger coup differently?
What I said about the Niger is now what we did with Gabon, not a threat of force. Tinubu said “we are watching”. In Niger, ECOWAS has beaten the drum, and they have seen that it didn’t work. The point is this: where in Africa have the people benefited from the dividends of democracy? Tell me.
Maybe Botswana…
You don’t know the inside of Botswana. Ian Khama, the former president, cannot go to Botswana today. His father was the first president. I worked with him. As they were settling down, I thought they were making progress because the president after his father was the one who became minister of finance.
When I was military head of state, he used to come and visit us, and we would render assistance to them, and he later became vice president and president. The next one was the same way. Ian Khama, who became the head of the army, moved the same way. The one that succeeded him now is chasing him from pillar to post. That is not liberal democracy.
What of Ghana?
(laughs)
Even if not in terms of dividends of democracy but liberal democracy…
Maybe Namibia is the closest to it.
You may like
Obasanjo Blames Loss Of Values For Democracy’s Failure In Africa
Obasanjo, Atiku, Tambuwal, Peter Obi, Others Meet In Abuja
World Water Day: Obasanjo Raises Alarm Over Incessant Digging Of Boreholes In Abeokuta
PICTORIAL: Obasanjo Hosts Jonathan, Atiku, Others To Dinner In Lagos
How I Sacked My Daughter Over Lateness — Obasanjo
JUST IN: Atiku Holds Private Meeting With Obasanjo In Abeokuta
Headline
After Fallout With Trump, Elon Musk Says He’s Forming ‘America Party’
Published
11 hours agoon
July 6, 2025By
Editor
Billionaire Tesla owner Elon Musk, has disclosed that he is forming a third political party, which he called the ‘America Party,’ after a dramatic falling out with Donald Trump over a tax and spending bill recently signed into law by the President.
Musk, who was the largest individual donor to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, worked with the current US President as the lead of his cost-cutting government agency—the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—until his recent resignation.
After bowing out of the DOGE role, Tribune Online reports that Musk started criticizing Trump’s “big beautiful bill” because of estimates that he said would add trillions of dollars to the federal deficit.
READ ALSO:Trump Says Will ‘Take A Look’ At Deporting Musk
Speaking via his X social media platform, Musk said, “When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy.”
Musk, a former ‘first buddy’ of the US President, declared that the new party is for freedom: “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”
Meanwhile, Musk’s rift with President Trump last month after intense criticism of the spending bill appeared to have cooled after Musk regretted and deleted the most incendiary posts he made linking Trump with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and calling for the President’s impeachment. According to Musk, those posts ‘went too far.’
However, the world’s richest man reignited the feud over the last several days as the bill neared passage and eventually passed by the House before it was subsequently signed at a White House ceremony.
READ ALSO:Elon Musk Deletes Post Claiming Trump Was ‘In The Epstein Files’
According to CNN, the extent to which Musk has taken steps to legally form the party is unclear, as party formation requires registering with the Federal Election Commission. The most recent FEC filings showed no indication that this has happened, CNN reports.
The owner of X, who has made threats during the social media scuffle with Trump, had indicated he wants a party that is fiscally conservative and reins in spending, but has offered few other details about what the party’s platform would be.
While Musk and Trump reportedly share similar views on contemporary social issues, the former has argued the Republican policy agenda will increase the debt, calling it “debt slavery.”
The two-party system in the United States has long been criticized by both registered Democrats and registered Republicans, but efforts in the last century to form a third party have shown little success. Billionaire Ross Perot ran for president as an independent in 1992, winning nearly a fifth of the popular vote, but carried no states in the election, which was won by Bill Clinton.

Australian actor Julian McMahon, best known for his roles in Nip/Tuck, Charmed, and Fantastic Four, has died at the age of 56.
McMahon passed away in Clearwater, Florida, on Wednesday following a private battle with cancer.
His death was confirmed in a statement released on Friday by his wife, Kelly.
The statement read,”With an open heart, I share with the world that Julian McMahon, my beloved husband, died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer.
READ ALSO:BREAKING: Liverpool Star Diogo Jota Is Dead
“His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible.
“We wish all of those to whom Julian brought joy to continue to find joy in life.
“We are grateful for the memories.”
Born into a prominent political family, McMahon was the son of former Australian Prime Minister Sir William McMahon.
READ ALSO:BREAKING: Renowned Businessman, Aminu Dantata, Is Dead
In a nod to his family’s legacy, he portrayed an Australian prime minister in the Netflix drama ‘The Residence.’
McMahon’s career spanned decades, earning him international recognition for his roles as Dr. Christian Troy in ‘Nip/Tuck’, Cole Turner in ‘Charmed’, and Victor Von Doom in ‘Fantastic Four’.
He was married three times, including a high-profile marriage to Australian singer and actress Dannii Minogue, sister of pop icon Kylie Minogue.
Headline
Thai Police Rescue Eight-year-old Boy Living With Dogs, Unable To Speak
Published
1 day agoon
July 5, 2025By
Editor
An eight-year-old boy has been rescued in Thailand after authorities discovered him living among dogs and only able to communicate by barking.
According to Dailymail on Friday, the boy, whose name has been withheld, was found on Monday during a welfare check at a ramshackle, drug-infested house in Lap Lae District, Uttaradit Province.
Local reports say the child had been living with his mother, 46, and his 23-year-old brother, both of whom tested positive for drug use after a police raid.
Neighbours revealed that the family had long been isolated from the community, and the boy had no contact with other children. Instead, he spent his days with the family’s six dogs, which he reportedly mimicked.
READ ALSO:24-year-old Thai Lady Arrested At Lagos Airport With Illicit Drugs
“He didn’t speak, he just barked. It was pitiful to see,” said Paveena Hongsakul, president of the activist foundation which worked with police on the rescue.
Authorities said the boy had only attended school once, despite his mother receiving government stipends of around 400 baht (£9) meant to support his education.
“His mother hasn’t allowed him to go to school since he received a subsidy for free education,” Hongsakul explained. “After getting the money, she simply kept him at home.”
Neighbours were said to have forbidden their children from playing with the young boy due to the family’s behaviour.
The mother was reportedly known in the area for begging at temples and has now been charged with drug use.
READ ALSO:
A local teacher described the boy’s environment as a “red zone for drugs” and said that neighbours forbade their children from interacting with him.
‘The house is in a red zone for drugs,’ one teacher explained. ”The boy had no one, just the dogs to play with.”
The disturbing situation came to light after a headteacher raised the alarm, prompting activists and police to raid the house on June 30.
Images shared in Thai media showed authorities at the shack surrounded by trees and several dogs.
Following the rescue, the boy was taken to a children’s home, where he will receive medical and psychological care.
READ ALSO:
Ms Hongsakul, of the Foundation for Children and Women, will work with authorities to ensure the child receives continuous education, and her organisation will monitor his progress.
Images from the scene showed authorities standing around a small family in a wooded area with several dogs on site. Credit: Dailymail
Images from the scene showed authorities standing around a small family in a wooded area with several dogs on site. Credit: Dailymail
“The boy will be given a chance at a good life. We’ll follow up with him to make sure he gets everything he needs,” she said.
Cases of so-called “feral children”, youngsters raised with little or no human contact, are extremely rare but often highlight the severe consequences of neglect.
Experts cite the example of Oxana Malaya, a Ukrainian girl found in 1991 living with dogs after her parents abandoned her. Though she eventually learned to speak and reintegrated into society, she still struggled with some developmental challenges.
Authorities in Thailand say they are committed to giving the rescued boy a fresh start and the chance to live a normal life.
- JAMB Releases Results Of Mop-up Examination
- FG Lists Two Presidential Jet For Sale In Switzerland
- Police Declare Two Wanted Over Attack On Ahoada-East LGA Administrator, Theft
- Super Falcons Begin WAFCON Campaign With 3-0 Win Over Tunisia
- 2027: Peter Obi Speaks On Running For President, Deal With Atiku
- NDPC Fines MultiChoice ₦766m For Data Privacy Violations
- Okpebholo Approves N1bn Annual Bursary For Edo Students
- 10 Die In Ogun Night Bus Crash
- Arsenal Sign Spain Midfielder Zubimendi
- WAFCON 2024: Nigeria Vs Tunisia – Date, Time And Where To Watch
About Us
Trending
- Sports4 days ago
BREAKING: Liverpool Star Diogo Jota Is Dead
- Politics4 days ago
Edo: S’Court Reserves Verdict On Ighodalo’s Case Against Okpebholo
- Headline5 days ago
AU Helicopter Crashes In Somali Capital – State Media
- Metro4 days ago
Controversy Over Pregnant Woman Buried Alive In Edo
- Politics1 day ago
Coalition: Why Tinubu Must Not Sleep —Primate Ayodele
- Entertainment5 days ago
‘This Is Not Me’ – 2Baba Apologises To Wife Natasha, Children Over Controversial Comments
- News4 days ago
FG Unveils N50m Grant To Boost Student Innovation, Entrepreneurship
- Headline4 days ago
NAFDAC Warns Against Use Of Excess Hydroquinone In Cosmetics
- Politics4 days ago
Crisis Looms In ADC As Faction Rejects Adoption Of Party By Atiku-led Coalition
- Politics4 days ago
Coalition: Otti Speaks On Report Of Leaving LP