Democracy Day: Don’t stifle opposition parties – ADP

 

By Diana Omueza

The Action Democratic Party (ADP) has cautioned against political monopoly, saying it will stifle opposition parties and Nigeria’s long preserved democracy if unaddressed.

Mr Yabagi Sani, ADP National Chairman, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to commemorate the year’s Democracy Day celebration

Sani honoured Chief MKO Abiola and countless others whose sacrifices laid the groundwork for the country’s democratic era.

He said that June 12 remained a historic day and a reminder for the government and Nigerians to reflect and interrogate the country’s democratic journey and future.

“On june 12, we gather not only to commemorate a watershed moment in Nigeria’s democratic journey but to interrogate the state of that democracy today.

“June 12 is more than a public holiday; it is a living symbol of our collective resistance to tyranny, our yearning for justice, and our relentless pursuit of people driven governance.

“ADP like other concerned democrats cannot claim that this is a full-fledged democracy because the manner in which government is run and elections are conducted leaves much to be desired.

“Today we face a creeping danger that mirrors the very conditions that led to the June 12 crisis; the unhealthy and undemocratic capture of state machinery by a ruling political class.

“The All Progressives Congress (APC), rather than functioning as a ruling party within a democratic framework, increasingly appears to be engineering a political monopoly, stifling opposition, silencing dissent, and consolidating power at all costs,” he said.

Sani said that it was pertinent for the government, political parties, stakeholders, and Nigerians to unite to preserve the country’s 26 years of unbroken civilian rule at all cost.

He recalled how following the annulment of the June 12 elections, politicians from various backgrounds, including President Bola Tinubu, united to campaign vigorously for the restoration of democracy.

This collective effort, he said, ultimately forced the military to hand over power to civilians in May 1999.

Sani urged that opposition parties should not be trampled, manipulated, or marginalized but be encouraged in order to sustain a healthy democracy.

“Today we are seeing a silent but deliberate muzzling of multiparty democracy and with it, a dangerous drift toward de facto one party rule.

“This is not democracy. It is domination. It is a toxic political environment, where choices are eroded.

“The opposition is meant to serve as a shadow government and the conscience of the people, reminding the government of its strength and weakness, ” he said.

Sani urged the government to address issues bedeviling citizens such as multidimensional poverty reported by the National Bureau of Statistics, the alarming out-of-school children, and youth unemployment.

He also urged the government to overhaul the electoral system and to pass the Electoral Offenses Commission Bill.

The ADP official cautioned Nigerians against projecting the country and the government in a bad light and urged them to hold the government accountable for its actions and inaction.

He urged Nigerians to remain steadfast, hopeful, and patriotic.

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