“We Can’t Blame Democracy for Nigeria’s Problems – We Failed Ourselves,” Says Abia Governor Alex Otti.

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has a simple message for Nigerians on Democracy Day 2026: Don’t blame the system. Blame the choices we’ve made.

Speaking in Umuahia on June 14, Otti argued that democracy isn’t the problem holding Nigeria back. Instead, he says the country’s struggles since 1999 come down to poor leadership decisions and a lack of personal responsibility from citizens.

In his Democracy Day address titled “Of Freedom and Development,” Otti reminded Nigerians that the freedoms they enjoy today were earned through the sacrifices of June 12 heroes and pro democracy activists who fought against military rule. To waste those freedoms on apathy, vote buying, or political violence is, in his view, a betrayal.

“It is not democracy that has failed; we have only been let down by errors in our individual and collective decisions,” he said.

He didn’t hold back on his warning to voters: “The only reward for electoral indifference is misery.” According to him, when citizens sell their votes or engage in divisive politics, they weaken democratic institutions from within.

Otti also stressed that democracy doesn’t promise overnight miracles. Progress, he said, may be slow, but it must be steady and measurable. And citizens have a duty to hold leaders accountable along the way.

On a positive note, the governor pointed to Abia State as an example of what democracy can achieve when people take it seriously. He credited the democratic system for allowing his administration to invest in infrastructure, security, education, and social welfare helping Abians “reclaim their development trajectory.”

He made a firm promise: Abia will never go back to the “era of mediocrity.”

Otti ended with a call to action, urging everyone to stay informed and actively participate in governance. “Sustaining democracy,” he said, “is a shared responsibility.”