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From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Senator Kola Balogun (APC – Oyo South) has said democracy in Nigeria will attain a level of political development that can be at par with developed democracies if it is not truncated.
He said this in a message to congratulate Nigerians on the celebration of the 23rd anniversary of Democracy Day, which was made available to journalists by his media adviser, Mr Dapo Falade.
According to him, “It is with a heart of gratitude to God that I felicitate Nigerians on this year’s celebration of our Democracy Day. It is heart-warming to note that this is the first time in the annals of our national history that we will be experiencing 23 years of unbroken democratic experiments in our country.
“This is highly very commendable and we must acknowledge that the events of 12 June 1993 are the precursor to the democracy that we are enjoying now. June 12, the date fixed for the celebration of our Democracy Day, is the fundamental watershed in our attempt at attaining democracy development and ideals of democracy.
“On that day, some 23 years ago, we had a pan-Nigerian election as almost the entire country decided to exercise their voting right and unanimously voted for a candidate of their choice in the presidential election. The decision to vote for the man who has come to be regarded as the Symbol of Democracy, the late Chief MKO Abiola, was, indeed, a significant and fundamental watershed.
“The electorate voted en masse for the late MKO Abiola, irrespective of their tribe and racial differences or their religious and socio-economic views. June 12 will always remain a fundamental watershed in our political development.
“This fact was not lost on the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration that officially recognised the date as the true essence of democracy. It is not yet Uhuru in our practice of democracy; we still have some very noticeable flaws here and there. But, if our current experiment is not truncated, we shall surely get to the Promised Land.”
