Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president and candidate for the PDP’s presidential nomination in the 2023 elections, claimed that Nigerian democracy is still held captive and that its restoration will require the efforts of all citizens.
The goal of all democratic participants, according to Atiku, is to make Nigeria’s democracy self-sustaining and free of anti-democratic forces. He made this statement in his speech to Nigerians on Democracy Day.
He continued by saying that the restoration to civil rule in Nigeria is being celebrated today and that this year’s observance of Democracy Day was a “time for us to reflect as a people and a country on our journey to becoming a democratic society.”
However, he went on to say that given the experience of Nigerians who lived through the dark era of military dictatorships, it was crucial to recognize the progress made in establishing democracy as the norm in Nigerian politics.
“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,” he stated.
He continued by saying that just as achieving civil rule takes group effort and commitment, advancing democracy and our democratic process would also demand this.
According to Atiku, much would depend on what Nigerians do or don’t do today on the challenges the nation faces and the future of its democracy.
“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 the 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,” Atiku said.
