Former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, said on Monday that democracy in Nigeria remains in bondage and it will need the energy of all Nigerians to rescue it.
The former Vice President, who stated this in his Democracy Day message to Nigerians, said the desire to make Nigeria’s democracy self-sustaining and independent of anti-democratic elements is the new frontier of participation by all democrats.
He further stated that what is celebrated today is a return to civil rule in Nigeria, adding that this year’s Democracy Day celebration was a “time for us to reflect as a people and a country on our journey to becoming a democratic society.”
He, however, added that it was important to appreciate the successes achieved in making democracy the norm of politics in Nigeria, considering the experience of Nigerians, who were around during the dark days of military dictatorships.
“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 added that 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.
Atiku said the challenge ahead of the country and the future of its democracy will rely heavily on what Nigerians 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 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.