By ‘Dotun Akintomide
Former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu on Sunday urged Nigerians to be vigilant, warning that some persons want to snatch democracy from the people despite the rough path that the nation had to follow before it could disentangle itself from the military’s junta years.
Tinubu, a national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) said this in his message on Democracy Day and second year of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Tinubu’s comment may not be unconnected with fears that there might be a coup plot.
Recall that Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, less than two weeks ago, said he received information that some individuals were approaching some officers and soldiers for political reasons.
The APC chieftain, in a statement by his media office, said ”Democracy Day and our commemoration of it must be more than an empty ritual. It must add up to more than another reason to have another holiday.
Also, last week, The New Diplomat had reported how leaders in the southwest are planning to rev up the old NADECO structures that overthrew the despotic government of the maximum ruler, Gen. Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida leading to the “June 12” protest actions following the annulment of the 1993 election popularly won by the late Chief MKO Abiola.
The coup fear, it was gathered has made several political heads and socio-cultural groups in the country to continue to hold clandestine meetings, exacerbated by the rising level of confusion and uncertainty over President Muhammadu Buhari’s health and on whether he would be able to complete his 4-year tenure.
But Tinubu has said, ”We, as a people, choose democracy as our preferred form of governance not because it would be easy to achieve or to hold even once we have it.
”We choose democracy because history has taught us that the welfare of the people is best and perhaps only secured by government responsive and accountable to the people. This can only be democracy.
”Many Nigerians have fought and sacrificed to enshrine democracy as our way of governance. We mark this day in honour of these people, many of whom laboured in obscurity and without proper thanks, to achieve this precious thing for the nation.
”We mark this day to keep in remembrance that we must not take this good form of government for granted. We must keep and nurture it, not for democracy’s sake, but for our own sake.
”We must remember that should we fall asleep, there are those who would like nothing better than to take our democracy from us,” he said.
Tinubu congratulated President Buhari on his second anniversary in office and urged him to continue to protect and improve the country’s democracy.
”I congratulate Nigerians on this day. I congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari and urge him and his administration to continue to do all it can to protect and improve our democratic ways.
“I wish all Nigerians a happy Democracy Day”.
