The Transformative Governance Forum (TGF) has urged Nigeria to draw lessons from Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s re-election, saying his political journey demonstrates how democratic participation and social welfare policies can improve the lives of ordinary citizens.
The Forum congratulated Lula and the Brazilian people following the October 25 presidential runoff, describing his victory as a triumph of hope, democratic resilience and the rule of law.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday and signed by Ademola Rabiu of its Strategic Communications Directorate, TGF said Lula secured about 51.8 per cent of the votes against Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, winning by more than four million votes after finishing second in the first round.
According to the Forum, Lula’s victory carries important lessons for Nigerians who remain concerned about electoral credibility, political manipulation, poverty and the capacity of the ballot box to deliver meaningful change.
It described the Brazilian president’s journey from poverty to the highest political office as an inspiration to ordinary citizens who face social and economic barriers.
TGF recalled that Lula was born into rural poverty in Pernambuco, Brazil, sold peanuts and shined shoes as a child, and did not learn to read until he was 10. He later worked as a metalworker before becoming involved in trade union activities and politics.
The Forum said his background demonstrated that formal education and academic qualifications were not the only measures of leadership capacity, stressing that courage, experience and commitment to the people were equally important.
It also recalled that Lula spent 580 days in prison following his conviction in corruption cases linked to Operation Car Wash, before the convictions were annulled after judicial findings concerning bias in the proceedings.
The Forum argued that the experience illustrated the dangers of using the judicial system to pursue political opponents.
“When the law is turned against a working-class leader, it stops being justice and becomes lawfare,” it said.
TGF maintained that courts should protect citizens, uphold fairness and guarantee due process rather than serve as instruments for settling political scores.
It also commended Brazil’s electoral authorities for conducting what it described as a credible election, urging all political actors to respect the outcome.
The Forum further said Lula’s victory demonstrated the importance of protecting national institutions against external pressure, citing the tariffs imposed by Washington on Brazilian imports and sanctions against Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following Brazil’s legal proceedings against former President Jair Bolsonaro over an alleged coup plot.
According to TGF, trade measures, sanctions and foreign financial interests should not be allowed to undermine a country’s democratic choices.
“Tariffs, sanctions and foreign money cannot be allowed to decide elections. The Global South must defend each other’s institutions, and do so out loud,” the statement said.
On social welfare, the Forum highlighted Lula’s earlier administration, particularly the Bolsa Família and Fome Zero programmes, which it said helped lift millions of Brazilians out of poverty and hunger.
It argued that government intervention was necessary where market forces failed to protect vulnerable citizens, describing poverty as a structural problem rather than an individual failure.
“That was not charity. That was governance with a moral compass,” TGF stated.
Turning to Nigeria, the Forum said Lula’s political experience offered lessons for young people and working-class citizens across the country, despite persistent challenges such as manipulation of party primaries, godfatherism, inflation, insecurity and youth unemployment.
It, however, acknowledged welfare initiatives under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly the student loan scheme and cash transfers to vulnerable households.
The Forum urged the Federal Government to strengthen and expand such interventions to ensure that their benefits reach more Nigerians.
It also expressed readiness to support the administration with policy ideas and grassroots mobilisation aimed at improving social welfare.
TGF outlined four major lessons from Lula’s victory for Nigerian advocates of welfare-focused democracy.
These include building broad-based political coalitions involving labour unions, students, market women, farmers and religious leaders; protecting judicial independence and accountability; treating social welfare as a citizenship right rather than charity; and maintaining international cooperation without compromising national sovereignty.
The Forum also called for stronger bilateral cooperation between Nigeria and Brazil in agriculture, energy, education and culture, building on the longstanding ties between the two countries.
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It said Lula’s political journey demonstrated that lasting change depended not on the emergence of a single saviour but on the ability of citizens to organise and sustain a movement for change.
“Lula’s victory is not a miracle, but a method,” the Forum said, urging Nigerians to organise, persevere, participate in elections and defend democratic institutions.
“The fire that refused to die in Brazil can catch here too,” it added.
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