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By Sunday Ani
Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2027 general elections, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has declared that Nigeria’s democratic journey remains incomplete 33 years after the historic June 12, 1993 election.
He warned that the country was still battling many of the same political and social conditions that inspired the struggle for democratic rule.
In an address to mark year’s Democracy Day, Adebayo reflected on the annulled 1993 presidential elections won by Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola under the banner of Social Democratic Party, describing the election as one of Nigeria’s finest democratic moments.
According to him, the election represented hope not only for Nigeria, but also for the African continent at a time when several nations remained under military rule and South Africa was still under apartheid.
He described the annulment of the June 12 elections as a betrayal of the Nigerian people and their constitutional sovereignty.
“No one can annul the will of the people,” he said, arguing that the actions of the military government and its collaborators disrupted what could have been Nigeria’s defining democratic transition.
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He paid tribute to the late Abiola and his wife, Kudirat Abiola,
describing their sacrifices as symbols of Nigeria’s unfinished
democratic struggle.
He also acknowledged former President Muhammadu Buhari for officially recognising June 12 as the Democracy Day and honoured thousands of Nigerians who lost their lives defending democratic ideals.
However, he argued that despite three decades of civilian rule,
Nigeria was yet to fulfil the promises associated with June 12.
He accused the administration of Bola Tinubu of promoting practices he described as inconsistent with democratic values, alleging pressure on political parties, weakened civic participation, and interference by law enforcement in political affairs and persistent flaws in the electoral process.
