• I cannot champion one-party rule, President swears
• Resist one-party state plot, PDP urges Nigerians
• Not yet bye-bye to hunger, poverty- Adewole

In a rather symbolic replay of fate, the same sombre suspense and apprehension, which defined the June 12, 1993, historic election also pervaded the celebration of June 12 as Democracy Day yesterday.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to reschedule the programmes set aside to mark the day raised public scepticism amid plans by the Take It Back movement to hold a nationwide protest against hardship and bad governance.

In many states across the country, it was an anti-climax as there were no significant activities—no protests or solidarity rallies—to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the annulment of Nigeria’s freest and fairest election. Citizens ignored the public holiday and went about their normal businesses.

But addressing a combined sitting of the two chambers of Nigeria’s National Assembly, President Tinubu spoke to the despondence and tried to paint glossy pictures of how democracy has grown in leaps and bounds in the country.

Detailing his sacrifices and contribution to the growth of democracy, the President used the opportunity to distance his administration from accusations of state capture and plots for a one-party state.

He stated: “Year by year, election after election, every time we debate instead of battle, discuss instead of fight, and argue instead of destroying, we preserve the institutions of democracy. More importantly, we weave the culture of democracy into the very fabric of our nation.

“To those who ring the alarm that the APC is intent on a one-party state, I offer you a most personal promise. While your alarm may be as a result of your panic, it rings in error.

“At no time in the past, nor any instance in the present, and at no future juncture shall I view the notion of a one-party state as good for Nigeria. I have never attempted to alter any political party registration with INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission).”

The President however noted that nobody should blame anybody seeking to bail out of a sinking ship even without a life jacket, stressing that his political history shows that he is the last person to advocate such a scheme.”

“We must welcome and accept the diversity and number of political parties just as we welcome and embrace the diversity of our population. Our efforts must never be to eliminate political competition, but to make that competition salutary to the national well-being by working across the political aisle whenever possible.”

But no sooner had the President’s remarks hit the airwaves that voices of criticism pealed across the polity, with some denouncing the attempt to emasculate dissent and run a self-serving administration that neglects its citizens.

Sounding a general note, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) – the same platform that Abiola stood for election – Adebayo Adewole, noted that as far as it is not yet bye-bye to poverty and hunger, celebrating the June 12 as a Democracy Days amounts to an empty show.

Adewole recalled how he joined other youngsters to paste posters and distribute handbills in support of Abiola’s promises of restoring hope through governance, and regretted that politicians are no longer mindful of the people, but of how to win elections.

What is happening is not governance, but conquest, says Atiku
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who was also a member of SDP in 1993, was more scathing on the declining standard of democratic governance in the country, lamenting that instead of governance, it was conquest that was at play.

Reminiscing on the events of the fateful June 12, 1993, Atiku remarked: “Thirty-two years ago, Nigeria stood on the cusp of greatness. The winds of democratic change were sweeping through Africa, and all eyes turned to our nation with hope, hope that Nigeria would rise as a beacon of liberty, justice, and self-determination.

“I was privileged to be an active participant in that defining chapter, which culminated in a historic election that captured the imagination of the world and reshaped our political destiny. It was a moment of great promise and great sacrifice.

“The political class made painful compromises, but it was the Nigerian people who bore the heaviest burden. They yearned for a new democratic order, and many paid dearly for it. I, too, made my fair share of sacrifices, most notably setting aside my own presidential ambition in deference to the late Chief MKO Abiola, a gesture made in faith and fidelity to a higher national cause.

“The gains of June 12 were hard-won. But sadly, the democratic promise that blossomed in 1999 is being steadily dismantled before our very eyes. Today, Nigeria teeters on the edge of a dangerous precipice—a creeping one-party dictatorship is replacing the democratic order we bled for.

“Those who laid down their lives did not do so for Nigerians to groan under the yoke of authoritarianism and economic suffocation. The ruling party and its federal government now govern with the unmistakable intent to dominate, subdue, and silence.

“Their tactics are not subtle. Opposition voices are being systematically erased. Contracts for multi-billion-naira infrastructure are funnelled to cronies and family associates of the president. National institutions, once symbols of unity, are being brazenly renamed in honour of a sitting president, as though the country were a private estate. What we are witnessing is not governance, it is conquest.

“This government represents the lowest ebb in our democratic journey. Institutions have been weaponised. Policies are crafted not to empower the people but to entrench fear, obedience, and control. The common Nigerian has been abandoned at the altar of elite comfort.

“And make no mistake: this is the antithesis of everything June 12 stands for. We are again at a historic threshold. Nigeria must choose: the path of democratic renewal or the dark alley of despotism.”

End impunity, respect the rule of law, Obi tasks Tinubu
Labour Party’s (LP) standard bearer in the 2023 presidential contest, Peter Obi, also lamented what he described as “the steady erosion of democratic values and the worsening socio-economic conditions under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.”

Obi wondered whether Nigeria can still be justifiably classified as a democratic nation, asserting that the core elements of democracy – government by the people, for the people, and of the people – are now glaringly absent.

He decried the persistent disregard for electoral rules, where he observed that regulations governing eligibility for public office are flouted, leading to the emergence of leaders who ought to have been disqualified from the outset.

“In just two years, we have moved from rigged elections to collapsing social services; from soaring poverty to rising corruption; from a seemingly stable economy to a parlous one.

“This government has created a situation where failure, lies, and propaganda are now celebrated. Instead of accountability and measurable progress, we are witnessing the manipulation of narratives, blame-shifting, and governance by gaslighting,” he noted.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also raised serious concerns over what it describes as “state capture” under the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government, accusing it of systematically compromising Nigeria’s key democratic institutions, including the National Assembly, the Judiciary, and electoral bodies.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP alleged that the APC has embarked on a coordinated campaign to dismantle democratic checks and balances, silence opposition voices, and concentrate power in the hands of a few elite individuals, thereby endangering the sovereignty of the Nigerian people.

The party noted that the disturbing trend of state capture is evident in the alleged collusion between the executive arm and what it calls a “rubber-stamp” National Assembly, as well as in the actions of certain compromised judicial officers who, it claims, now act in ways that erode public confidence in the rule of law.

Dickson faults Tinubu over failure to restore democracy in Rivers
MEANWHILE, the Senator representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District, Senator Seriake Dickson, on Thursday slammed President Tinubu for failing to restore democratically elected government in Rivers State. Recall that President Tinubu had, on 18th March 2025, announced the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State for an initial period of six months. The President also announced the appointment of retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas as the state’s administrator to oversee the affairs of the oil-producing state.

Speaking during a media chat after President Tinubu addressed the joint session of the National Assembly to commemorate Democracy Day and 26 years of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria, the former Bayelsa State Governor expressed dismay that the President, in his nationwide address, failed to reinstate Governor Fubara and his deputy, as well as members of the State House of Assembly.

He said: “Let me start by saying Happy Democracy Day to all Nigerians — even though one might ask: are we truly happy? Democracy is supposed to inspire hope, but what we saw today in the Senate was a direct assault on that hope.”

Dickson, who was visibly angry about the imposition of emergency rule in the oil-producing state, which is controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), described President Tinubu’s decision on Rivers State as a forceful takeover. “And today, it was very annoying that the Senate President chose today, Democracy Day of all days, to read the President’s own democratic communication to the National Assembly, making appointments into democratic institutions in Rivers State, when today we expected that he should announce the restoration of democracy.

Reacting to the disinterest of many in the celebration, a resident of Rivers State, Emma Uzo noted: “They are practising military regime and dictatorship, so what are we celebrating?”

However, some youths—believed to have been sponsored—gathered around Isaac Boro Park, Port Harcourt, marching in solidarity with President Tinubu for 2027.

CISLAC raises alarm over democratic backslide, civic suppression
Also, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has raised the alarm over what it describes as the frightening collapse of accountable governance and the erosion of democratic values under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In a press statement issued yesterday, Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director of CISLAC, described Nigeria’s democratic environment as being in a state of “regression,” citing institutional decay, growing authoritarianism, and a shrinking civic space as key symptoms of democratic backsliding.

The group stated that 26 years after the return to civilian rule in 1999, Nigeria faces an urgent democratic crisis fueled by rising corruption, leadership failure, compromised elections, and widespread public distrust. CISLAC expressed deep concern over the state of Nigeria’s electoral credibility, describing recent elections as “mere exercises in futility,” plagued by violence, voter suppression, vote buying, and judicial interference. It also raised concerns over the deteriorating state of the judiciary, citing delays in access to justice, inconsistent rulings, and perceived political interference as major threats to the rule of law.

The statement read in part: “In Nigeria, democracy is backsliding because of the frightening collapse of responsible, transparent, and accountable governance under the watch of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” CISLAC said, as the nation marks Democracy Day and 26 years of continuous democratic governance.

“Right now, the nation’s democratic institutions are at their weakest point and are consistently failing the people, while authoritarian tendencies continue to rise. Failure of leadership, erosion of public trust, rising corruption, impunity, compromised electoral processes, and a shrinking civic space are key indicators of the deliberate undermining of democratic values.

“Instead of building on the gains of past democratic rule, the country is regressing into a governance model defined by unaccountable leadership, weak institutions, killings, and the total exclusion of citizens from decision-making.”