Democracy must grow beyond regular elections – NALT

**Empowers widows, widowers in outreach

By Jude Opara, Abuja

National Association of Liberated Tigers (NALT) at its 2025 International Convention and Conference in Enugu has stressed the need for African nations to develope true democratic tenents, because the conduct of regular elections alone is not enough.

The International President of NALT, Mr. Obinna Amoke in his address with the theme: Social Movement, Social Justice and the Future of Democracy, noted that Nigeria has become one of the most politically challenged nations of the world with high indices of abuse of the incumbency powers, corruption, increasing poverty levels and rising levels of religiosity with attendant intolerance.

Amoke added that in recent times, violent democratic transitions have characterized the experiment due to a result of poor culture of electoral dispute management, weak democratic structures and institutions to deal with sectarian politics fuelled by ethnic and religious sentiments amongst others.

“In many countries especially in Africa, politicians have used the holding of regular elections to claim the existence of democracy, whereas in reality these countries can be best described as elected autocracies.

“According to Hilary Clinton, the former US Secretary of State, to be considered democratic, a country must choose its leaders through fair and competitive elections, ensure basic liberties and respect for the rule of law.

“Many deeply divided societies such as ours since the 1990s have turned to democracy as a way to exit intractable conflict, institutionalized marginalization and corruption as well as inequality in all forms and ramifications. However, this is not necessarily true in all cases “.

In his remarks, His Eminence Dr. Obi Nweze admonished members of the Association to always remain faithful to the ideals of the founding fathers, which includes; sustaining the truth, helping the needy and maintaining peace and diligence at all times.

Dr. Obi who is among the four founding fathers of the Association told the members to ensure that NALT remains one indivisible entity, adding that while they establish viable chapters across the world, its corporate headquarters must remain in Nigeria.

He also said that every chapter has been mandated to publish its statement of account every two months and that the Zonal Representatives position has been abolished so as to have a more efficient management.

In his keynote address with the theme: Social Movement, Social Justice and the Future of Democracy: The Role of NALT Club in the Reimagination of Democratic Ethos, Dr. Chukwuemeka Eze, the Director Democratic Futures in Africa, Open Society Foundations, said that social justices are the lifeblood of democracy, because they cultivate an engaged citizenry, challenge entrenched power and build resilient communities.

Dr. Eze also cautioned against the country sliding into a one party state, even as he charged NALT members to always advocate for a robust space that allows for the expression of interests and options.

He further advocated that the National Assembly should consider a bill to seal the age at which politicians can contest for elective positions.

“While I will congratulate the National Assembly for passing the #NotTooYoungToRun bill into law, I also want to urge them to consider another bill: #TooOldToRun. This will help open the space more for vibrant and intelligent young people to serve the nation at the highest level.

“I have been a tireless defender of democracy all my life because I am convinced it is the political system most conducive to peace, sustainable development, the rule of law and the respect for human rights. But even in democracy’s historic heartlands, we are witnessing a shift in the perceptions and practice of democracy evidenced by the ever lower levels of voter participation, falling membership of political parties and declining trust in politicians and institutions “.

Also, Director of Media and Strategic Communication, Chief Cassidy Madueke while giving more insight into the convention said the aim of the 2025 Enugu conference is basically to provide platform to interrogate the connection between socio-economic and political issues within Nigeria’s social movements and social justice crusades and how NALT can through its activities and programmes, impact positively on the lives of the ordinary masses.

“We are here to deliberate on practical ways and measures of ensuring social justice in the country. The programme is aimed at the downtrodden, widows, widowers and the indigent youths; they need the assistance of clubs like NALT. It will help them to exist and have a better life”.

Meanwhile, the high point of the event was the medical outreach with presentation of free drugs to members of the public and the distribution of food items and cash to the needy, especially widows and widowers who were each gifted with a bag of rice, a carton of noodles, a gallon of vegetable oil and cash.

Speaking at the presentation, Hon. Chimaobi Atu who represents the Enugu North/South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives said NALT as a non profitable organization gave out the items in line with some of their cardinal objectives, which is supporting the needy and ensuring that peace and harmony prevail.

“We know that the widows and widowers need the support of the society, since they lost their spouses, they should not be abandoned, they need love and care. NALT wants them to have a sense of belonging in the society”.

The Convention was attended by delegates from each of NALT Club International chapters, members of the Board of Trustees (BoT), founding fathers, and the international leadership.

NALT which is said to have about 10,000 members across the world has strong membership in every geo-political zone of Nigeria as well as in America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Canada amongst others.