Despite violence and election malpractice witnessed in the 2023 presidential election, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu has praised Nigeria’s democratic journey, emphasizing the country’s commitment to conducting transparent and fair elections over the past 25 years.
In his Democracy Day live broadcast, marking Nigeria’s 25th anniversary of democracy, Tinubu highlighted the nation’s history of peaceful transitions of power, attributing these achievements to the country’s democratic values.
Tinubu stated, “That we have established a tradition of holding transparent, open, and fair elections gives credence to our democratic bearing. That we have experienced peaceful transitions of government affirms our democratic temperament.”
He also paid tribute to Nigerians who actively participated in the struggle against military rule, acknowledging those who lost their lives in the fight for democracy.
“While elections attract dramatic attention, they are but one aspect of democracy. Democracy is a way of life that encompasses a broad outlook of which elections are but a part. As such, a nation can have elections without being democratic. But a nation cannot be truly democratic without holding elections,” Tinubu added.
Despite Tinubu’s positive remarks, the recent 2023 general elections in Nigeria were marred by violence and irregularities.
The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) reported at least 74 deaths across 101 violent incidents. The EU EOM also noted failures by law enforcement agencies to prosecute individuals responsible for attacks, intimidation, and harassment of journalists during the election period.
“Law enforcement agencies failed to prosecute persons who attacked, intimidated, harassed, or obstructed journalists prior to, on and after both election days,” the EU EOM reported.
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