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Flying Against Wind: Bola Tinubu Unmoved Amidst Chaos

A landslide of over 70 elections intrigued the world in 2024, concurrently with a generous display of over 160 anti-administration and election-related protests as reported by the esteemed Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Global Protest Tracker. Not all sitting heads of states were fortunate as the winds of change blew wildly, sparking waves of popular displeasure.

In Bangladesh, a series of remarkable student-led protests culminated in the ejection of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from power. On the other hand, in a twisted twist of fate, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, after seemingly endless conflict in Syria’s civil war, finally saw his reign come to an abrupt end at the hands of rebellious forces.

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In stark contrast, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu skillfully weathered the storm of relentless protests fueled by runaway inflation and ballooning energy rates. In the face of considerable dissatisfaction, his grip on power remained unyieldingly firm.

In an extraordinary show of civic participation, over a staggering 1 billion people exercised their constitutional right to vote in 2024. Many of these elections were largely secure, however, according to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, public outrage over the organization or results of these elections became a significant catalyst for civil disturbances in certain regions.

Despite the robust turnouts, democracy itself saw a wavering faith in its institutions, exacerbated by mounting losses of incumbents. A troubling shift in the sentiment was nigthingly felt; the number of citizens who believe in the effectiveness of representative democracy as a governance model has acutely deteriorated since 2017.

Contributing factors to this shift might be linked to lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, that thrust billions into a vortex of disrupted education, devastated health, and altered work experiences. The blow to human happiness originating from this crisis is believed to have left people questioning the governing fabric of their society.

A mere four months after students in Bangladesh orchestrated an epic coup, effectively overthrowing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the country finds itself in a challenging balance, seeking to navigate a politically turbulent landscape riddled with disparate agendas.

Aspiring for a liberal democracy, Bangladesh grapples with a debilitating culture of mutual legitimization making a consensus seem to be in the realm of the utopian. The vision of a multi-party government that ensures economic stability and educational reform may just be the anecdote to furry elections likely to exacerbate fractures in their society.

With more than 61.1% of the Bangladeshi inhabitants eager for a swift election within a year, it’s significant to note that a sweeping majority have also expressed their readiness to pursue required reforms before hitting the ballot box.

In August, the #EndBadGovernance movement swept across Nigeria, propelled by the gnawing pain of rampant inflation. These passionate cries for justice united the citizens across various religious and ethnic groups – hunger, after all, knows no boundaries.

Interestingly, these protests appeared to lack the organic fervor of the #EndSars demonstrations of 2020. Flipping the script this time, protesters aimed to utilize the threat of governmental upheaval as leverage in their pleas for substantial policy shifts.

Nonetheless, through the mounting pressures and public outcry, President Bola Tinubu remained steadfast in his defense of his controversial economic measures, portraying them as an indispensable part of a grand plan to elevate the prosperity of Nigeria.