As Nigeria celebrates 25 years of uninterrupted return to democracy, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, has berated the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the nation’s economic woes.
June 12 is a day set aside annually to celebrate democracy. Currently, many Nigerians live in poverty, even as the nation faces myriads of security challenges.
In his message to Nigerians on Tuesday, the former vice president said the past nine years of the APC administration have brought hardship on the people.
“The past nine years have thrown up a regime of extreme hardship manifested in excruciating poverty and unprecedented levels of violence and insecurity upon our people,” he said.
“Sadly, the ruling All Progressives Congress is to blame for bringing forth this dawn of gloom.”
While criticising opposition parties for failing to unite and form a coalition capable of unseating the ruling APC, he berated the opposition parties for failing to present a governance plan that would gain the confidence of Nigerians.
To Atiku, one of the secondary purposes of declaring June 12 as Democracy Day in Nigeria is to commemorate the history of our prolonged journey toward becoming a stable democratic nation.
The former vice president asserted that there is no substitute for 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 Basorun 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.”
