Square College Lagos defeated Silverbird International School, Port Harcourt, in a closely contested debate on whether elections remain the best measure of democracy.
The debate, held Thursday as part of Season Nine of the I Beg To Differ Tournament of Champions, saw both teams present arguments on the role of elections, accountability, participation and citizens’ rights in a democratic system.
The motion before the debaters was: “Elections Are No Longer The Best Measure Of Democracy.”
Silverbird International School, which supported the motion, argued that democracy should not be judged solely by the conduct of elections, but also by what happens between elections, including good governance, accountability, freedom of expression and citizens’ ability to influence government.
Leading the proposition, 14-year-old Emmanuella JohnBull argued that an election is only one part of democracy and cannot, by itself, determine whether citizens are experiencing democratic governance.
She cited Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election, noting that voter turnout was about 27 percent, while questions were raised over the credibility of the electoral process.
According to her, low participation and public distrust showed that elections alone could not provide a complete picture of the health of democracy.
She also pointed to the 2024 #EndBadGovernance protests, arguing that citizens’ demands for accountability and better leadership after elections demonstrated that democracy must continue beyond election day.
“An election can give a leader mandate. It cannot tell how that leader will govern,” she argued, adding that democratic governance should also be measured by freedom, accountability and the protection of citizens’ rights.
Silverbird also cited the Federal Government’s 2021 suspension of Twitter as an example of how an elected government could still face questions over democratic freedoms.
The school maintained that a ballot could open the door to democracy but could not guarantee that democratic principles would be upheld after leaders assumed office.
However, Square College Lagos, which opposed the motion, argued that elections remain the most measurable and important mechanism through which citizens exercise political power.
Leading the opposition, 15-year-old Boluwatife Amoo said elections give citizens three key powers: access to political participation, accountability and consent.
She argued that elections allow citizens to choose their leaders and, importantly, remove them from office when they fail to meet public expectations.
Square College acknowledged that Nigeria’s electoral system has weaknesses, including low voter turnout and concerns about credibility, but said those shortcomings should lead to electoral reforms rather than the abandonment of elections as the primary measure of democracy.
The opposition cited elections in Botswana, Japan and the United Kingdom as examples of how voters had peacefully changed governments through the ballot.
During the rebuttal round, Square College’s 13-year-old speaker, Onyinye Maduagwu, challenged the proposition’s argument that low voter turnout undermined the importance of elections.
She argued that voter turnout itself was evidence that elections could be used to measure the level of citizens’ participation in a democracy.
Silverbird International School's Ugwoegbu Sonia Chisom, however, maintained that a low turnout of about 27 percent meant the majority of registered voters did not participate in the 2023 presidential election, raising questions about how representative the outcome was.
The proposition also argued that democratic accountability should not depend solely on periodic elections, insisting that citizens should have mechanisms to hold governments accountable throughout their tenure.
In the closing round, Silverbird argued that elections measure only the moment citizens select their leaders, while democracy should also be assessed by the consequences of that choice.
The team pointed to Nigeria’s struggles with corruption, insecurity, poverty and accountability as evidence that holding elections does not automatically translate into effective democratic governance.
Square College countered that the proposition had failed to provide a stronger alternative to elections.
The school argued that protests, courts and other accountability mechanisms may complement elections but cannot replace the ballot as the mechanism through which citizens choose and remove governments.
The adjudicators ultimately scored Square College higher in all three rounds.
Square College secured 70 points, compared with 65.5 points for Silverbird International School.
Audience voting also favoured Square College, with 67 percent of the votes against Silverbird’s 33 percent.
The combined result gave Square College a 76.7 percent overall score, compared with 68.8 percent for Silverbird International School.
The victory gives Square College a major boost in the race for a place in the Round of 12, while Silverbird International School must now wait for the outcome of the remaining Group D calculations.
The adjudicators praised both teams for their performances, while urging the students to strengthen their arguments by not only identifying weaknesses in opposing positions but also presenting clear and workable alternatives.
Group D will have one more debate before the teams’ final standings and qualification for the next stage are determined.
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