And as long as the capacity of government as inherited from the colonial era remains the same, neither balance of power between the arms of government or between the levels of government can institute Populist democracy in Nigeria. It is in this sense that a distinction must be made between constitutional democracy and Populist democracy. Nigeria's constitutional democracy defined in terms of republics is not Populist democracy. And election machines cannot develop Populist democracy given the demonstrated use to which this current set of constitutional democrats are putting their control of government and thus of the resources that control of government enables. There is a relationship between President Obasanjo's campaign against corruption by office holders and the nature of government in Nigeria.
Government is absolutist in Nigeria because it was so instituted by the colonial authorities.
As long as government is such, the absolute control of state power resources by government would not result in its abuse only if the armed forces were to mutate into a puritanic moralist institution that would enforce that law against the abuse by office holders. We see this much in the executive- legislature contestations over power. This situation presents President Obasanjo a choice and he must choose. If he wants to fight official corruption he must embrace the movement to establish Populist democracy in Nigeria. Populist democracy is premised upon the democratic restructure of government in Nigeria.