•Says those who can’t endure pain of defeat don’t deserve joy of victory

 

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

 

President Bola Tinubu has reminded Nigerians that the late Moshood Abiola, winner of the annulled June 12, 2003 election paid the ultimate price, hence the need to never take this democracy for granted but to guard it jealously and protect it like a precious jewel.

He noted that the democracy that is steadily growing to become the defining essence of the nation’s polity was not gifted to the citizens on a silver platter.

The President, in his democracy address to the nation, said Abiola sacrificed his life in unyielding, patriotic defence of the ideals of democracy as symbolised in his choice, by his fellow countrymen and women, as their duly elected president.

Tinubu noted there was an easier choice for Abiola, which was to forgo the justice of his cause and opt for the path of ease and capitulation in the face of the tyranny of power, but to his eternal credit and immortal glory, he said no.

He said Abiola demonstrated the time-tested eternal truth that there are certain ideals and principles that are far more valuable than life itself.

President Tinubu also recalled the several other heroes of democracy such as Kudirat, wife of Chief Abiola, who was brutally murdered while in the trenches fighting on the side of the people, Pa Alfred Rewane and Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua (rtd) who were silenced by the military junta while in pursuit of democracy. He said, they gave their yesterday for the liberty that is ours today.

“Fellow compatriots, we celebrate a day that has remained a watershed in our nation’s history, not just today, but for every June 12, for the endless future that our beloved country shall exist and wax stronger and stronger, generations of Nigerians will always remind themselves that the democracy that is steadily growing to become the defining essence of our polity was not gifted to us on a silver platter.

“We can easily recall the sacrifice and martyrdom of Chief MKO Abiola, the custodian of the sacred mandate that was so cruelly annulled. He sacrificed his life in unyielding, patriotic defense of the ideals of democracy as symbolized in his choice, by his fellow countrymen and women, as their duly-elected President. There was an easier choice for him. It was to forgo the justice of his cause and opt for the path of ease and capitulation in the face of the tyranny of power. To his eternal credit and immortal glory, Abiola said no. He demonstrated the time-tested eternal truth that there are certain ideals and principles that are far more valuable than life itself.

“Everyday, on this day, down the ages we will recall the several other heroes of democracy such as Kudirat Abiola, wife of Chief Abiola, who was brutally murdered while in the trenches fighting on the side of the people. We remember Pa Alfred Rewane, one of the heroes of our independence struggle and Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua (rtd) who were silenced by the military junta while in pursuit of democracy. They gave their yesterday for the liberty that is ours today.

“The point is that we must never take this democracy for granted. We must forever jealously guard and protect it like a precious jewel. For, a people can never truly appreciate the freedoms and rights democracy guarantees them until they lose it.

“We have traversed the dark, thorny path of dictatorship before and those who experienced it can readily testify to the unbridgeable gap between the dignity of freedom and the humiliation and degradation of tyranny. True, rancorous debates, interminable wrangling, ceaseless quarrels, bitter electoral contestations may be perceived by some as unattractive features of democracy. But they also testify to its merit and value.”

President Tinubu noted that the seventh circle of the country’s democratic elections was keenly contested with winners excited and losers disenchanted and disappointed.

He further noted that the beauty of democracy is that those who win today can lose tomorrow and those who lose today will have an opportunity to compete and win in the next round of elections.

“Those who cannot endure and accept the pain of defeat in elections do not deserve the joy of victory when it is their turn to triumph. Above all, those who disagree with the outcome of the elections are taking full advantage of the constitutional provisions to seek redress in court and that is one of the reasons why democracy is still the best form of government invented by man,” he said.