Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State and Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, yesterday, scored democracy high as the nation marks Democracy Day.
President Muhammadu Buhari had declared June 12 as democracy day in honor of the late Bashorun MKO Abiola, winner of the 1993 presidential poll, adjudged as free and fai but was annulled by the military government headed by Gen. Ibrahim Babangida.
Speaking during the commemoration in Lagos, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the state government would continue to improve the lives of the people as such remains the ultimate goal of democracy.
He said since 1999, successive governments in Lagos State had worked hard to meet the yearnings of people who had consistently given them their mandate.
“As your elected government, we do not take this responsibility lightly at all. We are grateful to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for kickstarting this journey, and for laying the foundation for a truly modern and prosperous Lagos State. In education, healthcare, housing, transport, environment, technology, security, and many other areas, Lagos has continued to live up to its pacesetter status,” he said.
The governor said as his administration begun the final year of its first term in office, the focus would be on completing the many laudable programmes and projects it started.
It resonates our collective struggle – Uzodimma
Governor Uzodimma congratulated Nigerians for keeping faith with democracy and June 12, noting that the day resonates the collective struggle and resilience of the people to enthrone and sustain democracy.
The governor, in his goodwill message to Imo people, said one of the major take aways about the day is that the will of the people in a democracy is supreme and cannot be underestimated.
He said the fact that Nigeria has experienced 23 years of uninterrupted civil rule speaks to the collective desire of the people to sustain democracy and congratulated them for the sacrifices they made to enthrone democracy.
He challenged Nigerians to search their consciences whether, by their behaviour, they have truly internalized the spirit of June 12.
“With the benefit of this historical hindsight, it is not only imperative but germane for us to guard this democracy jealously. We should do all in our power to ensure that we don’t toil with this freedom of choice which is the foundation upon which our development is predicated. That freedom should never be tired to pecuniary gains lest the foundation of our democracy be threatened.
“Consequently, we should, all of us, take seriously our civic obligation to freely elect our leaders. This begins with citizens obtaining their permanent voters cards. By the end of this month, INEC will not be issuing these cards. So those who are yet to obtain theirs should use this window of opportunity of just 18 days to do the needful.”
People struggle through ballot box –AbdulRazaq
Governor AbdulRazaq June 12 reminds Nigerians of a chapter in our history when Nigerians forged a common front for democratic rule in expectations of a greater homeland.
“A product of a people’s struggle through the ballot box, our administration in Kwara aligns with the dream of the ordinary person who simply yearns for a life more abundant. This explains our focus on giving every Kwara child the right foundation to attain their potentials, providing affordable and qualitative healthcare, pioneering a decent safety net programme for the vulnerable poor, giving equitable opportunities to all genders, and steadily bridging the huge development gaps in our state,” he said in a message by his media aide, Rafiu Ajakaye.
Diri tasks leaders to be servants of the people
Governor Diri said the essence of democracy would be lost if leaders fail to be servants to the people.
At a non-denominational Democracy Day service at King of Glory Chapel, Government House, Yenagoa, the governor charged those occupying elective and appointive offices to see themselves as servants of the people that gave them the mandate to whom they are accountable.
His spokesperson, Daniel Alabrah, quoted the governor as saying that elected or appointed officials should regard such positions of authority as a privilege and a platform to better the lot of the people.
“Today being Democracy Day, we should all be reminded to continue to give service to our people. If you have been elected or appointed into key government offices and positions, you should note that It is only but a privilege. In all our actions, we should know that those who have given us the mandate to serve them are our masters and we are their servants. If you make yourselves a demi-god, you are only deceiving yourselves.”
Abiodun advocates stringent punishment for election riggers
Governor Abiodun called on Nigerians to draw strength from the 1993 general election and make the 2023 exercise even better.
He equally advocated stringent punishment for violators of due process in elections, declaring that people’s ballots must count and be respected.
The governor made the pronouncement at the June 12 commemorative anniversary and Nigeria’s Democracy Day, held at the M.K.O International Stadium, Abeokuta.
He noted that the struggles of June 12 as orchestrated by late MKO Abiola gave birth to the seamless democracy Nigeria has enjoyed in the last 29 years, emphasising that “only by upholding the tenets of democracy and ensuring its sustainability that we can truly honour the memory of those ideals that Chief MKO Abiola and others stood and died for.”
“While it is heart-warming to note that in the last 29 years, we have enjoyed seamless civilian-to-civilian transition, it is only by upholding the tenets of democracy and ensuring its sustainability that we can truly honour the memory of those ideals that Chief MKO Abiola and others stood and died for. People’s ballots must count and be respected, while violators of due process in elections ought to be dealt the full wrath of the law.”
As part of the activities, he approved the committal of six convicts on death row to life imprisonment and also released 40 inmates.
No alternative to democracy – Mohammed
Governor Mohammed said there is no better alternative to democracy as a form of government and expressed optimism that it has come to stay in Nigeria.
He said the beauty of democracy is that it gives the people the right to choose who to govern them and how they want to be governed.
“It is gratifying to note that the primary elections of all the political parties preparatory to the 2023 general elections were conducted peacefully. This is a testimony of the entrenchment of democratic values and norms in our political system. It is my hope that this attribute would be replicated during the 2023 general elections. I appeal to political parties and contestants of various elective offices to prevail on their members and supporters to be law abiding and peaceful in the conduct of their electioneering campaigns.”
Lets continue to deepen our democracy –Adeola
Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Solomon Adeola called on Nigerians to join in efforts at deepening democratic experience.
In a message to mark the 2022 Democracy Day, the lawmaker called on all persons to respect the sanctity of the ballot box in determining who governs them stressing that the will of the people as expressed through their votes internally in political parties and in general elections should always be respected to deepen Nigeria’s democracy.
“Since May 29, 1999 our democratic experience has endured vagaries of a nascent democracy in various forms and we are marching forward. The task ahead is to encourage more participation in democratic experience as well as spread the benefits of democratic rule.”
The Senator urged all contestants for various democratic offices to be good sportsmen and women as there are bond to be winners and losers in a democratic contest adding there is always another day and season for a comeback in a democracy.
VON DG lauds Buhari for immortalising Abiola
Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr Osita Okechukwu, lauded President Buhari for immortalising Chief MKO Abiola.
In a statement in Abuja, yesterday, he said: “June 12, 1993 remains a watershed in Nigeria’s liberal democracy, which bade goodbye to the military, birthed the zoning convention of rotation of president from north to south and created the material conditions for multiparty system and free, fair and transparent elections, hence has strengthened our democratic institutions.
“For this, one salutes MKO Abiola and all the fallen heroes for paying the ultimate and supreme price for democracy.
“One also commends Buhari for immortalising Chief MKO Abiola and as he said in his Democracy Day speech, “We must never forget the sacrifices of the heroes of Nigeria’s democracy during 1993. Their patriotism and peaceful struggle should guide our actions especially when it comes to electing our leaders and holding them accountable, now and in future. By God’s Grace Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, presidential candidate of the APC; as the only crusader in the June 12 struggle contesting for president in 2023 will preside over the 30th anniversary of June 12,” he said.
Nigeria yet to fulfill Abiola’s dream -Gani Adams
Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, said Nigeria’s democracy is yet to fulfill the lofty dreams of MKO Abiola.
Speaking in Ikeja, Lagos, at the commemoration anniversary of June 12, organised by Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Adams said Abiola’s victory came with lots of sacrifices, adding that there were some heroes and heroines of the struggle that put their lives on the line for the actualisation of the June 12 struggle.
“The June 12 story was truly phenomenal in nature.It was a story that reflected the will of the people to take their destiny in their own hand.It was a victory that knew no tribe or religion.June 12 victory was boundary less because even both the Hausa and the Igbo supported the cause of the victory.
SUN NEWS
