A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ekiti State, Arch. Deji Adetuberu, has described
the proclamation of June 12 as Democracy Day by President Muhammadu Buhari as triumph of all Nigerians over tyranny of many years and unprecedented courage in the history of Nigeria.
Adetuberu said the latest proclamation by President Buhari must be commended and seen as a triumph of Democracy over tyranny and enemies of the system for 25 years.
In a release made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti on the occasion of 2018 June 12, Democracy Day, the APC chieftain said: “What President Buhari gave Nigerians is nothing but relief from the burden that has been on the country for 25 years due to military misuse of power over the wishes of people and society.
“In fact, it is to say the least that, Nigerians have been going to all other polls after the June 12, 1993 annulment of the presidential election with uncertainty and doubting minds.
“Nigerians especially those who witnessed the memorial and electoral result imprisonment by the military junta have been skeptical of democracy since the annulment because of the level of psychological trauma and betrayal of trust they got from the people in the position of authority against their will.
“Therefore, the proclamation which is long-overdue, can also be described as “a sudden light in the political darkness” of Nigeria for many years is a welcome development and at the same time a hope for star-crossed Nigerians especially the families of late Moshood Abiola and other warriors of the democracy.
“The latest, singular, historical and bold step by the President has again further demonstrated to all Nigerians both at home and in the diaspora that President Buhari has come to right all the wrongs of the past in the country”.
According to him, the President’s proclamation, honour for Abiola, the winner of the June 12 1993 election and the apology to the Abiola family over the election annulment marked “Another indelible and historical landmark in our life as a country and it will no doubt go a long way at solidly institutionalizing our democratic structure and therefore prove to the world over that, our nascent democracy is not an accidental one but rather a long-time battle that was fought and won by all Nigerians”.
Adetuberu said that going by what has been happening since the Buhari administration came into being in 2015, “Any reasonable and fast-thinking person would deduce and conclude that President Buhari has been laying a great foundation, to re-invigorate both sociopolitical and economic sectors that have been in a state of comatose but weeping for the attention of a selfless leader for many years.
“The President on assumption of office took the bull by the horn at repositioning the country in order to make it follow the path of greatness and development again.
“However, it is unfortunate and disheartening that few egocentric Nigerian leaders can blindly go to the public to castigate President Buhari on the proclamation of June 12 as Democracy Day in an attempt to score cheap and worthless political points because of the 2019 general elections.
“President Buhari deservesthumb-up in this regard and on many other salient but unprecedented achievements that have direct and positive impacts on the lives of Nigerians in the last three years,” the APC chieftain said.
While congratulating Nigerians, especially the people of Ekiti State, Adetuberu charged them to always stand by their faith at electing their leaders, saying, “The latest development has further shown that the will of the people can still be sovereign over any power of the few in democracy”.
