President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has used the opportunity of the Democratic Day celebration to confer national honours on some deceased and living heroes of Nigeria’s democratic struggle.
In his speech delivered at the National Assembly yesterday, the president paid glowing tributes to Chief Moshood Abiola and his running mate Babagana Kingibe, acknowledging them as the rightful winners of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election.
He commended former President Muhammadu Buhari for declaring June 12 Democracy Day and posthumously recognising Abiola and Kingibe.
“We must celebrate the courage of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola and Pa Alfred Rewane,” Tinubu said, recalling how agents of military repression murdered both.
He listed numerous democracy activists and civil society figures including Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Balarabe Musa, Anthony Enahoro, Ndubuisi Kanu, and others, as examples of the pan-Nigerian character of the June 12 struggle.
As part of this year’s Democracy Day celebrations, President Tinubu announced the conferment of national honours on dozens of individuals, including posthumous honours to Kudirat Abiola (CFR), Shehu Musa Yar’Adua (GCFR), Prof. Humphrey Nwosu (CON), Pa Alfred Rewane (CFR), Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine (OON each), Chief Bola Ige (CFR), and others.
Living honourees include Prof. Wole Soyinka (GCON), Bishop Matthew Kukah (CON), Femi Falana, SAN (CON), Bayo Onanuga (CON), Dapo Olorunyomi (OON), Ayo Obe (OON), and veteran journalist Sam Amuka Pemu (CON), who turns 90 today.
He also announced that the Ogoni Nine and others would be granted a presidential pardon, pending approval by the National Council of State.
Tinubu also decorated the presiding officers of the National Assembly with the national honours previously conferred upon them: Senate President Godswill Akpabio (GCON), Speaker Tajudeen Abbas (GCON), Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin (CFR) and Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu (CFR).
Tinubu dismisses idea of one-party state
The president dismissed the fear of a one-party state as a panic alarm, stressing that he has never viewed it as good for Nigeria in the past, present, or future.
He, however, urged the opposition to put its house together.
However, the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi are not swayed by the president’s stance.
The opposition insisted that the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration orchestrated the one-party state prospect, which is instigating the crisis within the ranks of opposition parties.
They all spoke against the backdrop of Nigeria’s Democracy Day celebration on June 12.
The fears of a one-party state come against the backdrop of mass defections from the opposition platforms to the ruling APC since 2023, with the tempo rising in recent times.
While the opposition ranks have been depleted in the National Assembly, two governors of the main opposition PDP, Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta) and Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), defected to the APC.
However, political scholars and senior lawyers dismissed the prospects of Nigeria becoming a one-party state in an interview with the LEADERSHIP Sunday edition.
Tinubu on one-party state
And allaying such fears, President Bola Tinubu has firmly dismissed suggestions that his administration harbours ambitions of turning Nigeria into a one-party state, declaring that democracy remains the only acceptable form of governance for the country.
Addressing a joint session of the National Assembly on Thursday to mark Nigeria’s 26th Democracy Day anniversary, Tinubu reaffirmed his lifelong commitment to democratic values, pluralism, and free political competition.
“To those who ring the alarm that the APC is intent on a one-party state, I offer you a personal promise. While your alarm may result from your panic, it rings in error,” he said.
“At no time in the past, nor any instance in the present, and no future juncture shall I view the notion of a one-party state as good for Nigeria.”
Recalling his political struggles during the 2003 elections, Tinubu noted that he was the last progressive governor in his region when the then-governing party attempted to dominate the political space.
“My allies had been induced into defeat. My adversaries held all the cards. Yet they could not control our national destiny because fate is written from above,” he declared.
Describing the idea of a one-party state as a “political overreach,” he said the failed attempt by the former ruling party ironically put the country on a trajectory that led to the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“I dare not do such a favour to any political adversary by repeating the same mistake,” he said.
The president, however, warned opposition parties not to blame the ruling party for their internal disarray.
“Political parties fearful of members leaving may be better served by examining their internal processes and affairs,” he stated.
“Try your best to put your house in order. I will not help you do so. It is, indeed, a pleasure to witness you in such disarray.”
Tinubu emphasised that it would be “political malpractice” to deny citizens the right to join the APC, and welcomed new members, including those from Delta and Akwa Ibom states led by Governors Sheriff Oborevwori and Umo Eno, as well as lawmakers in the National Assembly.
The president used the opportunity of the occasion to honour heroes of Nigeria’s democratic struggle.
He paid glowing tributes to Chief Moshood Abiola and his running mate Babagana Kingibe, acknowledging them as the rightful winners of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election.
He commended former President Muhammadu Buhari for declaring June 12 Democracy Day and posthumously recognising Abiola and Kingibe.
“We must celebrate the courage of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola and Pa Alfred Rewane,” Tinubu said, recalling how agents of military repression murdered both.
He listed numerous democracy activists and civil society figures including Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Balarabe Musa, Anthony Enahoro, Ndubuisi Kanu, and others, as examples of the pan-Nigerian character of the June 12 struggle.
As part of this year’s Democracy Day celebrations, President Tinubu announced the conferment of national honours on dozens of individuals, including posthumous honours to Kudirat Abiola (CFR), Shehu Musa Yar’Adua (GCFR), Prof. Humphrey Nwosu (CON), Pa Alfred Rewane (CFR), Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine (OON each), Chief Bola Ige (CFR), and others.
Living honourees include Prof. Wole Soyinka (GCON), Bishop Matthew Kukah (CON), Femi Falana, SAN (CON), Bayo Onanuga (CON), Dapo Olorunyomi (OON), Ayo Obe (OON), and veteran journalist Sam Amuka Pemu (CON), who turns 90 today.
He also announced that the Ogoni Nine and others would be granted a presidential pardon, pending approval by the National Council of State.
Tinubu also decorated the presiding officers of the National Assembly with the national honours previously conferred upon them: Senate President Godswill Akpabio (GCON), Speaker Tajudeen Abbas (GCON), Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin (CFR) and Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu (CFR).
Turning to the economy, President Tinubu listed the gains recorded under his administration’s reform agenda.
He said GDP growth stood at 3.4% in 2024, with the fourth quarter hitting 4.6%, the highest in a decade.
He also pointed to the stabilisation in the exchange rate, growth in foreign reserves, positive balance of payments, and improved sovereign credit ratings as gains on the economy front.
He cited the rollout of over 100,000 consumer credit lines, including 35,000 to civil servants, as part of a broader effort to stimulate the economy.
A new programme phase is expected in July, targeting 400,000 young Nigerians, including corps members he disclosed.
According to the president, initiatives like NELFUND for education, investment in fibre optic infrastructure, and the “Nigeria First” industrial policy would help the country achieve food sovereignty and 7 per cent annual economic growth.
Tinubu called on lawmakers to pass pro-industry, pro-agriculture legislations to further support his administration’s economic vision.
He also reaffirmed his commitment to press freedom and civil liberties, urging lawmakers to resist the temptation to suppress criticism. “Call me names, call me whatever you will, and I will still call upon democracy to defend your right to do so,” he said, stressing that imposed silence only breeds chaos.
On national security, he praised the Armed Forces for their courage and called for sustained support.
“We are investing in training and technology, and inter-agency coordination has improved. Our highways are safer,” he said.
Tinubu further remarked that the journey of democracy must continue.
“Our nation is not perfect, but it is strong. Our democracy is not invincible, but it is alive,” he stated. “We must work even harder to translate broad macroeconomic gains into tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary Nigerians,” he concluded.
PDP tells Nigerians to resist APC’s one-party state plot
Not swayed by President Tinubu’s assertions, the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on Nigerians to resist the ruling All Progressives Congress’ plot to foist a despotic one-party regime in Nigeria.
The PDP also urged the National Assembly, the Judiciary and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to assert their constitutional independence and operate only based on the Rule of Law and the people’s collective interest in promoting the tenets of democracy.
In its democracy day message, signed by the party’s national publicity secretary, Hon Debo Ologungaba, PDP urged Nigerians, institutions of democracy, organised labour, civil society, development partners and all lovers of democracy to unite in speaking out against the stifling of democratic tenets of justice, the Rule of Law, free, fair and credible electoral processes and the right of citizens particularly to freely participate in politics and governance in Nigeria.
The opposition party said it was alarmed by the anti-democratic actions of the APC government which continues to use compromised state apparatuses of power and control to violate the Constitution brazenly, emasculate the opposition, defy and abridge the liberty of the citizens to freely elect their leaders, corrupt and manipulate institutions of democracy, asphyxiate the media and weaponise poverty, all in the attempt to impose a defeatist mentality on the people and turn the nation into a fiefdom and personal estate of few individuals in power.
“More distressing is that the APC-led Presidency has remained unaccountable while colluding with the corrupt, rubber-stamp APC leadership in the National Assembly and certain compromised judicial officers at very high places to undermine the sovereignty of the people, ostensibly to clear the path for a totalitarian system in our country.”
The PDP described outcome of the 2024 Edo state governorship as a pointer to APC brazen resort to state capture, by subverting the will of the people in the people.
It also cited the widely condemned overthrow of a democratically elected government and imposition of a sole administrator in Rivers State in blatant violation of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution among other constitutional infractions that signpost a clear and present danger to our democracy.
The PDP went on: “June 12 Democracy Day, therefore, embodies the struggle by Nigerians against an oppressive, despotic and lawless system driven by impunity, high-level deception and reckless anti-people tendencies as being witnessed under the APC administration.
“It also represents the insistence by Nigerians for a system that is accountable to the people, operates on the Rule of Law and democratic principles of freedom, justice, fairness, equity, credible elections, national cohesion, transparency and accountability in government, which Chief MKO Abiola personified and died for.
“These are the democratic values which Nigerians enjoyed under the Peoples Democratic Party. Painfully, all have eluded the nation since the coming of the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) masquerading as a political party, the APC ”
The PDP asked the APC administration to respect the memory of Chief Abiola, the rule of law and sovereignty of the Nigerian people by adhering to the Principle of Separation of Powers, end the intrusion in the activities of the National Assembly and other democracy institutions, particularly the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Judiciary, allow for a free press, commit to credible elections, be truthful, transparent and review all its poverty weaponising policies.
Atiku Reacts, Says Heading For Dictatorship
Also, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, in his message on Democracy Day, stated that Nigeria is teetering towards a one-party dictatorship on President Tinubu’s watch.
Taking to his X handle, he lamented that the gains of June 12 were hard-won, but that the democratic promise that blossomed in 1999 is steadily being dismantled.
“Today, Nigeria teeters on the edge of a dangerous precipice; a creeping one-party dictatorship is replacing the democratic order we bled for. Those who laid down their lives did not do so for Nigerians to groan under the yoke of authoritarianism and economic suffocation.
“The ruling party and its federal government now govern with the unmistakable intent to dominate, subdue, and silence. Their tactics are not subtle. Opposition voices are being systematically erased. Contracts for multi-billion-naira infrastructure are funnelled to the president’s cronies and family associates. Once symbols of unity, national institutions are being brazenly renamed in honour of a sitting president, as though the country were a private estate.”
According to Atiku, what Nigerians are witnessing is not governance, but conquest.
“This government represents the lowest ebb in our democratic journey. Institutions have been weaponised. Policies are crafted not to empower the people but to entrench fear, obedience, and control. The typical Nigerian has been abandoned at the altar of elite comfort. And make no mistake: this is the antithesis of everything June 12 stands for.
“We are again at a historic threshold. Nigeria must choose: the path of democratic renewal or the dark alley of despotism.”
Looking ahead, the former vice president and presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 presidential election as imperative the ongoing effort to build a broad, united opposition front.
According to him, the proponents are not seeking power for power’s sake.
“ It is a moral imperative. It is about defending the legacy of June 12. It is about ensuring that no one can privatise the state and reduce the people to pawns in their political chess game, no matter how powerful.
“It is about reclaiming Nigeria for Nigerians and safeguarding the future of generations unborn. This is not just a political contest; it is a moral crusade. A struggle to liberate our economy, our democracy, and our dignity from the grip of authoritarian forces. And like every righteous struggle, it demands courage, clarity, and collective resolve.
“As long as oppression thrives, June 12 lives on, not just as memory, but as movement. The time to rise is now,” he said.
Obi To Tinubu: Stop Governing Nigeria by Remote Control
For his part, Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election,Peter Obi, looked comprehensively at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s two-year reign and concluded that the administration’s governance delivery and policies are flawed.
In a national broadcast in Abuja to mark the June 12 Democracy Day entitled ‘Democracy in Decline: Reflecting on Two Years of Tinubu’s Governance, ’ Obi gave low ratings to the handling of governance in the last two years.
After a sector analysis of the midterm report of the administration, ranging from corruption, prudence, economic insecurity and politics, etc, Obi said a lot is going wrong and called on the President to note that “governing by remote is not what Nigerians need; you need to go round and get firsthand information.”
“The President should stop touring outside Nigeria and use his remaining two years to tour the Nigerian states instead.
“Mr. President, you have already made over 30 international trips, spending nearly 150 days abroad. If you tour Nigeria’s 36 states and dedicate just two days to each state, it would take only 72 days for you to do so, less than half the time you have already spent outside the country on foreign trips. You need to go around the country to see.”
On how democracy can be deepened, Obi appealed to President Tinubu “to emulate the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, who was honest enough to admit the process that brought him into office was wrong and not sufficiently credible and thus insisted on doing what is right to save our democracy. Similarly, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan saved our nascent democracy by accepting defeat before the election results were announced.
“We must end this troubling governance era that is filled with impunity, state capture, and absolute disregard for the rule of law and the checks and balances required of any worthwhile democracy.”
The Labour Party standard bearer lamented that “in our present state, our dear country Nigeria cannot be justifiably classified as a democratic country. The vital indicators of democracy are noticeably absent. Some do not even exist. Democracy is said to be ‘a government of the people, by the people, and for the people,’ yet none of these three measures exist in our democracy today.”
Painting further gory pictures of the state of democracy in the country, Obi said, “It is most troubling that in its two years in office, the present government has brought the nation to the point where our leaders now celebrate and endorse failure, lies, and propaganda. The government today, rather than show genuine accountability and measurable progress, focuses on manipulating narratives, gaslighting the public, shifting blame and weaponising governance.”
He expressed sadness that “Nigerians live in a worsening and worrisome insecurity, widespread corruption, hunger, and general despondency. There are no clear benchmarks for measuring tangible development, as we continue to witness the collapse of key indicators—like education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation—which are parameters for measuring national progress.”
Abiola’s Family Seeks Legislation To Institutionalise June 12 In Nigeria
Meanwhile, the family of Bashorun MKO Abiola, the main martyr of the June 12, 1993, Presidential election, has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s federal government to enact a legislation to permanently institutionalise June 12 as Democracy Day in Nigeria.
According to the Abiola family, this remains the surest way to immortalise their patriarch permanently and ensure that future generations in Nigeria do not forget the sacrifice rendered by the late politician and commit it to the waste bin of history.
Spokesman for the Abiola family and one of the sons of the late winner of the 1993 Presidential elections, Chief Abiola, Hameen Abiola, made the appeal yesterday while speaking in an interview with journalists shortly after the annual visit of the state government delegation to the family’s house in Oja-Agbo, Abeokuta, the state capital.
The state government’s delegation, led by Deputy Governor Noimot Salako-Oyedele, family, friends and associates of the late politician held a prayer session in an Islamic way in memory of the late MKO Abiola at their family house, Oja Agbo, Abeokuta.
Speaking against the backdrop of the fear of future neglect, Hameen said recent developments in the country have made it imperative for the federal government and the National Assembly (NASS) to evolve a way for the younger generations to learn the values and sacrifices of the June 12, 1993, election annulment.
“We appreciate the federal government of Nigeria for the honour done to our father. He is not only our father but also the father of many Nigerians, given the supreme sacrifice he had to make for the democracy that we all enjoy today.
“We thank former President Muhammad Buhari for conferring on our father the award of GCFR, which is an excellent step in the right direction. However it is our passionate appeal that the federal government can permanently enact a bill that will forever make June 12 Democracy Day so that the future generations, who may not understand the roles that our father played in returning the country to democratic rule, and therefore abolish this June 12 as the Democracy Day which is picked to celebrate our father, Chief MKO Abiola.
“Why, it is because some youths of this generation don’t understand the value of the sacrifice made by the late Chief MKO Abiola. So, we hope that a Bill will be passed that will permanently institutionalise and say that June 12 will continue to exist till the end of time in Nigeria.”
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