Former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has affirmed that there is no substitute to democracy as a form of government.
Alhaji Atiku posted this on his X handle on Wednesday as the country marks 25 years of uninterrupted democracy.
He said: “The secondary purpose of declaring every June 12 as Democracy Day in our country is to commemorate the history of our long journey of becoming a stable democratic country.
“Truth be told, there’s no substitute to democracy as a form of government”, he said.
The former VP commended both past and present leaders of the country for their contributions to stabilising the nation’s democracy, therefore, urged other stakeholders to ensure the
sustainability of the nation’s democracy.
“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”, Atiku said.
He noted that the nation’s democracy is not yet virile if it continually fails to deliver the promises of prosperity and liberty to the people, adding that the past nine years has thrown up a regime of extreme hardship manifested in excruciating poverty and unprecedented levels of violence and insecurity upon the people.
While blaming the All Progressives Congress (APC) for bringing forth the dawn of gloom, the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) noted that the opposition political parties are even more guilty than the ruling party for the seeming lack of capacity to come together and galvanize a coalition that will retire the ruling party and articulate a plan of good governance that will earn the conviction of Nigerians.
“Today, the failings of the opposition parties to uphold the functionality of their existence is the major threat to our democracy. The earlier they realise that the fortunes of Nigeria lies in their forging a coalition, the better it will be for our country and the people”, he added.
