Nigeria’s Democracy Is In Bondage, Atiku Declares

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 23, 2022 election, Atiku Abubakar, has declared that democracy in Nigeria is in bondage.
“I 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, who was also the country’s Vice President upto 2007, in a statement today, June 11, to mark the nation’s Democracy Day tomorrow, June 12, said that 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.
According to Atiku, for Nigeria’s democracy to be fully fledged, it must constantly evolve away from the current practice where the governing elite determines the outcome of elections.
“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!”
Atiku recalled what he called “the dark days of military dictatorships,” saying”it is important that we appreciate the successes that we have achieved in making democracy the norm of politics in Nigeria.
“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.”