Participants at the launch of the 2025 State of Democracy Report by Kimpact Development Initiative in Abuja, where stakeholders highlighted gaps in democratic performance across Nigerian states.
Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) has revealed significant gaps in democratic governance across Nigeria, stating that no state attains a high level of democratic performance despite widespread electoral activity and institutional presence.
KDI revealed this while presenting its State of Democracy in Nigeria Report 2025 as the most comprehensive subnational assessment of democratic governance in the country, evaluating all 36 states through a structured, evidence-based framework.
The report finds that “not a single Nigerian state reaches the High Democratic Performance band,” underscoring what the organisation describes as a disconnect between democratic processes and governance outcomes.
Executive Director of KDI, Bukola Idowu, says the report goes beyond traditional election observation and examines how democracy functions in practice.
In his words: “KDI builds the assessment on the Democracy Performance Index (DPI) and analyses data collected between September and December 2025”.
The organisation draws on over 7,000 citizen and stakeholder responses, institutional checklists, and official records from electoral bodies, legislatures, and civil society organisations.
The report identifies only six states Oyo, Yobe, Ekiti, Nasarawa, Ondo, and Osun, as demonstrating moderate democratic performance, representing 16.7 percent of the total.
It also shows that 28 states, representing 77.8 percent, fall within the low-performance category, while Jigawa and Rivers states rank within the weakest performance band.
KDI notes that democratic structures such as elections and institutions exist nationwide but do not consistently translate into accountability, inclusive representation, or protection of civic freedoms.
“Democracy is active across the country; institutions exist, elections are held, and citizens participate, but these processes do not consistently produce accountable governance,” Idowu stated.
The report identifies political inclusion as the most constrained dimension across all states and finds that no state achieves even moderate representation levels for women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
KDI highlights uneven institutional effectiveness, noting that many state institutions struggle with transparency, oversight, and accountability. The report also shows that civic space varies across states, as some maintain relatively open environments while others restrict civic actors.
KDI emphasises that the findings do not signal a failure of democracy but instead reflect uneven performance and systemic constraints.
“The report does not present a binary picture of success or failure. Instead, it highlights a system that is functioning procedurally but remains constrained in depth and outcomes,” it adds.
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It explains that the DPI serves as a diagnostic tool to support policy reforms, strengthen institutions, and improve the link between citizen participation and governance outcomes.
The organisation also urges policymakers, civil society, and the media to prioritise issue-based reporting that reflects the complexity of democratic performance rather than simplistic rankings.
In his keynote address, Adetunji Ogunyemi emphasised the need to move beyond formal democratic structures and focus on how governance affects citizens in practical terms.
“That instrument by which they may be able to explain, either to the electorate or to the general public, the extent of their domesticating democratic practices at the subnational level. This is a concern for democratic practice in Nigeria. And if we must be concerned about democratic practice in Nigeria, we should be able to clarify, define, measure, and test those things that make for democracy”. He noted
Also speaking, Achike Chude, National Secretary of the NUJhighlights the fragility of democratic transitions. “The most vulnerable and critical period in any nation is the time of transition.”
He warned that Nigeria’s democratic journey requires urgency, noting that unlike older democracies, the country operates within a compressed timeline with higher stakes.
In separate goodwill messages, Omolara Akinyeye the Deputy Executive Director at Policy Legal and Advocacy Center (PLAC) and Busari Sarafadeen, the Director General Conference of Speakers of State Legislators in Nigeria, commended KDI for producing a data-driven report capable of informing governance reforms.
The report is expected to contribute to ongoing policy discussions and provide a benchmark for tracking democratic progress across Nigeria’s states.
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