"Unfortunately, the true force which propels our endless political disputes, our constant struggles for political advantage, is often not our burning concern for democracy, it is often of our dedication to the principle of the rule of law"
About this Quote
Obasanjo aims a cold light at the machinery of politics: the loudest fights in public life are rarely about lofty ideals and more often about control of the referee. His line is a rebuke dressed up as diagnosis. By calling political disputes "endless" and struggles "constant", he isn’t admiring democratic vitality; he’s indicting a system where contention becomes a permanent campaign, not a means to public problem-solving.
The most telling move is the contrast between "burning concern for democracy" and "dedication to the principle of the rule of law". He deliberately flips what audiences expect: democracy, the crowd-pleasing banner, is demoted; the rule of law, the less romantic concept, becomes the real driver. The subtext is cynical but practical: in many postcolonial states, elections and "democratic" language can be performed while institutions are bent, captured, or selectively enforced. If you can shape courts, policing, and legal procedure, you can win even when the vote is messy or legitimacy is contested.
Coming from Obasanjo, the intent is double-edged. As a Nigerian leader who ruled both as a military head of state and later as an elected president, he speaks with insider credibility and implied self-implication. He’s not describing politics from the bleachers; he’s describing the levers. Contextually, it reflects Nigeria’s recurring tensions over judicial independence, anticorruption campaigns that look like factional warfare, and constitutional rules treated as obstacles or weapons. The quote works because it names what many citizens intuit: the real battle is over whose law counts, and against whom.
The most telling move is the contrast between "burning concern for democracy" and "dedication to the principle of the rule of law". He deliberately flips what audiences expect: democracy, the crowd-pleasing banner, is demoted; the rule of law, the less romantic concept, becomes the real driver. The subtext is cynical but practical: in many postcolonial states, elections and "democratic" language can be performed while institutions are bent, captured, or selectively enforced. If you can shape courts, policing, and legal procedure, you can win even when the vote is messy or legitimacy is contested.
Coming from Obasanjo, the intent is double-edged. As a Nigerian leader who ruled both as a military head of state and later as an elected president, he speaks with insider credibility and implied self-implication. He’s not describing politics from the bleachers; he’s describing the levers. Contextually, it reflects Nigeria’s recurring tensions over judicial independence, anticorruption campaigns that look like factional warfare, and constitutional rules treated as obstacles or weapons. The quote works because it names what many citizens intuit: the real battle is over whose law counts, and against whom.
Quote Details
| Topic | Justice |
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