Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has noted that democracy without fairness and fidelity to rule of law in election conduct subject the people to dictatorship tendencies, saying that more needed to be done to defeat enemies of true democratic governance.
In his message to Nigerians on the occasion of June 12 (Democracy Day) issued on Sunday, the candidate of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election, observed that what Nigeria celebrates today is a return to civil rule.
He said the desire to make the nation’s democracy self-sustaining and independent of anti-democratic elements is the new frontier of participation by all democrats.
Atiku declared that the enemies of democracy are not resting, admonishing that everything must be done to defeat them.
His message reads: “On this occasion of Democracy Day, it is time for us to reflect as a people and a country on our journey to becoming a democratic society.
“For Nigerians who were around during the dark days of military dictatorships, it is important that we appreciate the successes that we have achieved in making democracy the norm of politics in Nigeria.
“But democracy without a corresponding commitment to the principles of fairness and fidelity to the rule of play by stakeholders in the processes of conducting elections still leaves the people prostrate to tendencies of dictatorship.
“For our democracy to be fully fledged, it must constantly evolve away from the current practice where the governing elite determines the outcome of elections.
“Many times, when I take stock of the activism that birthed the current democratic dispensation, I am even more convinced that a lot of work still lies ahead.
“Democracy and the process of democratization is a constant work in progress. While what we celebrate today is a return to civil rule in Nigeria, the desire to make our democracy self-sustaining and independent of anti-democratic elements is the new frontier of participation by all democrats.
“As it requires collective energy and commitment to attain civil rule, it will require a concomitant commitment to advance the cause of democracy and our democratization process.
“The challenge ahead of us and the future of our democracy will rely heavily on what we do or fail to do today.
“To achieve this noble goal, our commitment to the cause of democracy must be eternal.
“Folks on the other side, enemies of democracy, whom we are up against, are not resting. To defeat them, we must do more!
“As I congratulate Nigerians on this day, in celebration of return to civil rule, I also call our consciousness to the reality that democracy in Nigeria remains in bondage and it will need the energy of all of us to rescue it.”
