Decolonising power: A critique of majoritarian democracy in Africa

Abstract

In recent times, African countries like Nigeria have witnessed a lot of internal problems and challenges associated with their democratic system of governance. These problems have produced ethnic conflicts, security challenges, corruption, poor leadership, betrayal of trust and low quality of life. This article argues that a major cause of these problems is the uncritical adoption of a Western system of democracy and its concomitant structures of power in African societies. The article posits further that the neglect and despising of the indigenous African understanding of power is reasonably responsible for the unfettered flowering of corruption and ethnic conflicts in contemporary Africa. This article recommends decolonising the idea of power central to majoritarian democracy as a major pathway in addressing some pressing sociopolitical problems including conflicts in democratisation processes, injustice and the problem of dictatorships in contemporary African societies. While the indigenous notion of power binds the ruler to a covenant of commitment and performance with the society, this article contends that a reinvigoration of a decolonised notion of power is worth taking seriously.