By Kamil Opeyemi
The former Vice-President and presidential candidate of PDP in the Feb 25th general elections, Atiku Abubakar says democracy in Nigeria remains in bondage and it will need the energy of all Nigerians to rescue it.
Atiku made this assertion in what he tagged as Democracy Day message to Nigerians on Monday saying that governing elite must stop influencing elections outcomes.
Atiku said the occasion of Democracy Day is a time for Nigerians to reflect on the country’s journey to becoming a democratic society.
“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,” he said
According to him, Nigeria as a country still have a long way to go in the evolution of the country’s democracy.
“When I often take stock of the activism that birthed the current democratic dispensation, I am even more convinced that much 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 democratisation process. The challenge ahead of us and the future of our democracy will rely heavily on what we do or fail to do today,” he stated.
“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 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.”