By Bode Olagoke
Former vice-president and the chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has called on Nigerians to collectively protect the country’s democracy.
In a Democracy Day message yesterday by his Media Office in Abuja, he encouraged Nigerians to emulate the examples of statesmen and women like the late MKO Abiola, Bola Ige, Kudirat Abiola and Gani Fawehinmi, whose lives were fully committed to democracy in the country.
Atiku said the end of military rule in Nigeria brought about a new era of regular elections as well as the return of civil liberties, free press and an end to arbitrary arrests and torture, but said Nigeria was gradually deviating from that path.
“The responsibility for our country’s democracy lies with each and every one of us,” he said, adding “we must participate actively in the process of governance, and ensure that the constitution and the rule of law are upheld at all times.”
He described as “pitiful,” a situation where the government and the armed forces debate critical issues bordering on national security in public.
“Relations between civil-military authorities should be managed with care and maturity to safeguard our democracy. Some of the issues being discussed in public are not matters for the market square.”
He urged Nigerians to contribute their quota to national security, by reporting any suspicious activity to the police.