Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the last general election, Peter Obi, has said that Nigeria’s democracy is deeply troubled and the destiny of the country uncertain and precarious.
Obi in a Democracy Day message to Nigerians on Monday lamented the state of affairs of democratic institutions in the country.
According yo him, 30 years after the 1993 elections, Nigeria is still in search for a credible electoral system that would command the trust, confidence, and belief of all Nigerians just like June 12 did.
He said the conduct of the last presidential elections was a demonstration of the trust deficit between Nigerians and their leaders.
The Presidential candidate said June 12 represent a historic day that deserves to be celebrated, noting that “on that day in 1993, we the people of Nigeria stated our unreserved preference for true democracy.
“Though under military rule, we freely chose a transparent voting method. Our votes reflected our true choice as a people. Our choice on that day defied divisions of ethnicity, religion, and region.
Obi noted that it’s the qualities of votes reflecting the true choice of our people “that added up to make June 12 special in our search for true democracy. Our collective choice of late Chief M. K.O Abiola as a worthy leader for the nation was saluted by Nigerians and governments and peoples across the world.”
The former Anambra state Governor who is in court challenging the presidential election he is perceived to have won remarked that “June 12 underpins our long collective journey to nationhood as a true democracy.”
“We remain a nation in search of solutions to too many basic problems. One of these is the search for a credible electoral system that would command the trust, confidence, and belief of ALL Nigerians just like June 12 did.”
The Presidential flag bearer urged the country to “use the commemoration of June 12 as an occasion to return to the true virtues of a truly democratic nation. We achieved that feat on June 12, 1993.
“In the spirit of June 12, therefore, we need to emplace an electoral system that commands the trust of the people. This is in recognition of the tenets and core values of democracy, which rest on respect for the wishes of the people as expressed in their ballot.
“Above all, the government must respect and protect the institutions of the democratic state by respecting the social contract with the people by meeting their needs, obeying their wishes, and fulfilling the responsibilities of responsible governance as contained in the constitution. A cardinal responsibility of government in this regard is respect for the rule of law.”
Obi regretted that Nigerians are now in “an era where these foundational pillars of democracy are undermined by prevalent impunity and pervasive violence and bloodletting.
“The trust deficit between the leaders and Nigerians continues to expand. The deficits of trust and efficiency in our last elections demonstrate this malady quite boldly.”
He expressed commitment and total conviction that a New Nigeria is possible and that the aspiration for a nation of equity, justice, security, and peace can can still be achieved.
