Ochendo: An African Journal of Innovative Studies

Democracy in Nigeria and its religious landscape are growing fast, with so many challenges of social divisions, doubt, and political breaks. This study examines the socio-religious implications of political disunity in Nigeria using "akara and pap democracy" as a homegrown food metaphor to examine the effective realities of democratic practice. From history, akara (fried bean cake) and pap (corn cereal) are consumed together as a matching pair, one is structurally and textually incomplete without the other. This study argued that sustainable development remains unachievable so long as sectional identities displayed in ethnic, religious, and political spheres continue to displace unified national identity, thereby weakening collective resistance against poor governance and permitting extractive leadership patterns to persist. Although many citizens desire political change and social transformation, the absence of national unity weakens collective resistance against poor governance and allows ineffective leadership patterns to persist. Adopting a qualitative, descriptive research design, the study examines peer-reviewed literature, policy reports, media documentation, and contemporary socio-political developments in Nigeria. The study is grounded in Social Cohesion Theory, emphasizing shared identity, social trust, mutual obligation, and civic solidarity as vital basics for institutional stability. Findings show that while the general public greatly desires economic transformation and accountability, religion which ought to serve as a driver for peacebuilding, social justice, and national integration is usually misused as a tool for democratic positioning and sectional division. The study concludes that sustainable democratic practice and development, requires a change from transactional individuality politics to a cooperative governance model which is determined by intentional interreligious dialogue, ethical leadership, and well-organized civic orientation. The study recommends a conscious unity, cooperation, ethical leadership, religious tolerance, and value orientation, interreligious dialogue as required pathways to achieve sustainable democratic practice in Nigeria. The study concludes that sustainable development in Nigeria can only be achieved only through unity, collective social responsibility, and national interest not fronted in the practice of true democracy.

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