JUNE 12: DEMOCRACY YET TO DELIVER PROSPERITY, LIBERTY TO NIGERIANS

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…pays glowing tribute to Abiola, Yar’Adua, Rewane, others

…says unity among opposition parties key to democracy’s survival

The Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, has said that while democracy remains the best system of government, it has yet to deliver on its promise of prosperity and liberty to Nigerians, especially in the past 9 years.

Atiku said this in his Democracy Day message to Nigerians on Tuesday.

He noted that the secondary purpose of declaring every June 12 as Democracy Day in our country is to commemorate the history of our long journey to becoming a stable democratic country.

The former Vice President said, “Truth be told, there’s no substitute to democracy as a form of government.

“Whereas our current democratic dispensation is a quarter of a century old, it will not be out of place to pay tributes to the sacrifices made by many patriots, chiefly among them Bashorun MKO Abiola and his beloved wife, Alhaja (Mrs) Kudirat Abiola, Tafida Shehu Yar’Adua and Alfred Rewane, among many others.

“The historical timeline of the struggle that birthed this democracy is abundant with a series of coalitions and alliances amongst the political leaderships of that era to flush away the vestiges of military and dictatorial governance in order to return power to the people.

“It is commendable that for 25 years, we have witnessed an uninterrupted season of electoral politics. It is an unprecedented epoch in our history.

“It is worthy of celebration and commendation must go to the people of our great country. I must also congratulate the political class for having embraced the rectitude of nurturing a democracy, as well as the civil society.

“It is important that all stakeholders continue to do their bit to ensure the sustainability of our democracy.”

He further said, “But our democracy is not yet virile if it continually fails to deliver the promises of prosperity and liberty to the people.

“However, the past nine years has thrown up a regime of extreme hardship manifested in excruciating poverty and unprecedented levels of violence and insecurity upon our people.

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“Sadly, the ruling All Progressives Congress is to blame for bringing forth this dawn of gloom.

“But the opposition political parties are even more guilty than the ruling party for the seeming lack of capacity to come together and galvanize a coalition that will retire the ruling party and articulate a plan of good governance that will earn the conviction of Nigerians.

“Today, the failings of the opposition parties to uphold the functionality of their existence is the major threat to our democracy.

“The earlier they realise that the fortunes of Nigeria lies in their forging a coalition, the better it will be for our country and the people.”