Democracy: Its Meaning and Dissenting Opinions of the Political Class in Nigeria: A Philosophical Approach

The nascent democracy in Nigeria is plagued with myriad of intrigues, discordant opinions of the political class. The reason is not farfetched. Every political party sees its manifesto and plans of action as the best for the citizenry. They elbow each other in the process of garnering political recognition and vibrancy. Their unhealthy rivalry only heat up the polity. How be it some Nigerians see these political dissent as a necessary tool to a sound democratic process. They argue that dissenting voices amongst the political class are necessary since a democratic process would never be devoid of antagonism and democracy would never thrive on rational consensus. This paper seeks to define democracy, explore the dissenting opinions of the political class which many say attempt to make or mar the democratic process in Nigeria. The study would further examine the role of the media in fast tracking the entire democratization process with a view to ascertaining whether the practice of democracy in Nigeria is in tandem with acceptable practices in the well recognized democracies of the world. Finally, the paper would proffer possible solutions and make necessary recommendations that would help deepen true democratic culture in Nigeria. Key words, democracy, politics, dissent, mass media, democratization process. The Concept of Democracy It is difficult to reach a consensus on the definition of democracy. However, the main idea of democracy is widely accepted to have originated from Athens in the 5 th century BC. The Webster New Encyclopaedic Dictionary (1995) defines democracy as a government in which supreme power is invested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through representation. According to Lindell, and Scott (1999), the term originates from the Greek word (demokratia) “rule of the people” which was coined from (demos) “people” and (kratos) “power” or “rule” in the 5 th century B.C. It is important to note that the political system postulated by the Athenians was such that democratic citizenship was exclusive to an elite class of free men only. Slaves and women were excluded from participation. In a lecture titled “What is Democracy”? Larry Diamond (2004) gave an overview of what in his opinion is democracy. He describes democracy as a system of government with four key elements: i) A system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections; ii) Active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life; iii) Protection of the human rights of all citizens; and iv) A rule of law in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens. Popper as cited in Javie (2006) defines democracy in contrast to dictatorship or tyranny. He places emphasis on the availability of opportunities for the people to control their leaders and to them without recourse to a revolution. Popper’s view must have hinged on the fact that there are many variants of democracy today. The most dominant variable is what he terms the direct democracy in which all citizens of a country are given direct and active participation in the decision making process of their countries. Another variant is the representative democracy in which the whole body of all eligible citizens remain the sovereign power but political power is exercised indirectly through elected representatives. According to Encyclopaedia Britanica, the concept of representative democracy arose largely from ideas developed during the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the Age of Enlightenment and the American and French Revolutions. Dahl, Shapiro, Cheibib (2003) state that in a representative democracy, every vote has equal weight, no unreasonable restrictions can apply to anyone seeking to become a representative, and the freedom of its eligible Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)