Political commentator and statesman, Otunba Segun Showunmi, has urged Nigerians to rise above what he described as “primitive politics,” calling for a decisive shift toward reasoned democratic engagement, stronger institutions, and issue-based governance.
In his latest intervention on Nigeria’s democratic trajectory, Showunmi warned that the nation has reached a critical point where politics must be anchored on responsibility and national purpose rather than raw emotion or tribal instincts.
“We cannot continue to behave like Neanderthals at a time when other African nations are steadily refining their democratic cultures. Nigeria must embrace maturity in its political conduct,” he declared.
His remarks followed the controversy surrounding Senator Francis Fadahunsi’s incendiary “Kill Accord” comment, which sparked outrage after a viral video showed him urging confrontation against Accord Party supporters in Osun State.
In a strongly worded statement titled “The Alternative, Part 2”, Showunmi argued that Nigeria must choose between governance by reason or raw emotion, institutions or instincts, and mature democratic culture or outdated political impulses.
He emphasized that democracy was never designed to eliminate disagreement but to manage conflict through civilized means. He cautioned against the growing tendency to replace facts with emotions, evidence with propaganda, and policy with insults.
“This is not democracy. It is political tribalism masquerading as civic engagement,” he said.
Showunmi noted that several African nations are demonstrating democratic evolution by strengthening institutions, improving electoral systems, and encouraging policy-driven competition. Nigeria, he insisted, should be leading this conversation rather than lagging behind.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s democratic journey since 1999, he acknowledged milestones such as peaceful transfers of power, institutional resilience, and increased citizen awareness. However, he warned against weaponizing misery and exaggerating setbacks, stressing that perpetual negativity weakens democracy.
He underscored the need for a responsible opposition that challenges government with superior ideas and evidence, while urging governments to embrace transparency, publish verifiable data, and subject themselves to scrutiny.
Showunmi insisted that Nigeria’s future will not be determined by the loudest voices on social media or political platforms, but by leaders who provide workable solutions and citizens who demand competence over spectacle.
“No country develops by celebrating failure. No nation becomes prosperous by turning politics into a perpetual war. No democracy matures when every disagreement is treated as an existential battle between good and evil,” he warned.
He concluded with a call for elevated public discourse, evidence-based debate, and stronger institutions, stressing that Nigeria must embrace democratic citizenship worthy of its aspirations.
“Nigeria is too important, too gifted, and too strategically positioned to remain trapped in immature political habits. The time has come to outgrow primitive politics and embrace democratic citizenship anchored on reason, responsibility, and national purpose. History will judge us by the choices we make,”
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