Weak Parties, Weak Democracy — Jonathan Warns Africa

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has called on political parties and the judiciary across Africa to strengthen democratic institutions and protect the will of the people.

Jonathan made the call on Tuesday in Bauchi at the closing of the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF) Democracy Dialogue, themed, “Beyond Elections: Can Political Parties and the Judiciary Save Africa’s Democracy?”
The former President, who chairs the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, warned that democracy could become a mere façade if its foundational principles were weakened. He urged political parties to become genuine democratic institutions by embracing internal democracy, producing credible leaders, respecting their own rules and placing national interest above partisan interests.
“Strong democracies cannot emerge from weak political parties,” Jonathan said, while calling for stronger frameworks across Africa to regulate political parties and promote democratic integrity.
He cited Kenya’s model of having a dedicated institution to regulate political activities alongside the electoral management body, saying other African countries could adopt similar arrangements to strengthen political accountability.
Jonathan also urged the judiciary to play a stronger role in protecting democracy, describing its responsibility as “equally or more profound.” He advised judicial officers handling political cases to be guided by impartiality, fairness and the rule of law.
He expressed concern that electoral contests in some African countries were increasingly being decided in courtrooms rather than at the ballot box.
“The courtroom should not become the arena where political mandates are routinely determined,” he warned.
Jonathan called for a re-examination of democracy in Africa, noting that although most countries on the continent favour democratic governance, widespread dissatisfaction persists due to the erosion of democratic principles, constitutional disregard and political corruption.
“There is no universally accepted model of democracy because every nation has its own history and political realities,” he said.
Jonathan explained that while there are universal democratic pillars, departing from those core principles means a country is no longer practising true democracy.
According to him, functional democracy must be built on eight cardinal pillars: sovereignty of the people, rule of law, separation of powers, protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, accountability and transparency, free and credible elections, political pluralism, and an active civil society.
He cautioned that although no country could achieve perfection across all the pillars, substantial compliance with most of them was necessary for democracy to remain stable and sustainable.
“When several of these foundations of democracy are weakened, what emerges is not genuine democracy but a pseudo-democracy; one that retains democratic forms while steadily losing democratic substance,” he said.
Jonathan urged African leaders to deliberately build their political parties, legislatures, executives and judiciaries around democratic principles.
“History will judge our democracies not by the number of elections we conduct, but by the strength of the institutions we build and the fidelity with which we uphold these democratic pillars,” he said.
He further advocated a fundamental re-examination of democratic practices across Africa, warning that rigid adherence to Western liberal democracy without adapting it to local realities could contribute to the continent’s growing democratic recession.
Jonathan called on African countries to move away from the cycle of political instability and work towards building stronger and more sustainable democratic institutions.