June 12: Educate public to deepen democracy, SDP’s Adebayo charges Media practitioners

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate in the February presidential election, Barr Adewole Adebayo, has charged media practitioners on the need to educate and orientate the public to further deepen the country’s democracy.

Adebayo in his June 12 Democracy Day speech urged members of the fourth estate of the realm and the society at large to enforce, restore and continue to sustain the country’s democracy through objective reportage.

According to him, in the last three decades, Nigeria and Nigerians including political parties, civil societies and the military have learnt many lessons which every Nigerian, including the government of the day must learn from.

While congratulating President Bola Tinubu on this year’s democracy, Adebayo also salute the heroes of democracy, just as he said, “It has been 30 years, three decades since we had that monumental success of an election that elected Chief MKO Abiola as the Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate in 1993. That election was annulled and the country was in the wilderness for six more years but in 1999, 24 years ago, we returned to civilian rule and we have been carrying on since then.

Today, on the 30th anniversary of June 12, many heroes have passed away including the acclaimed winner of the June 12 presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, Alhaji Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC), Solomon Lar and many of the players are still around.

Luckily, it is another opportunity to congratulate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was a key player as a Senator of the Social Democratic Party in 1993. So, no one can say that he did not know the travails of people looking for democracy. No one can say he do not know the fragility of democracy. No one can say that we do not have documentary in recent history on how a people can come together and canonize democracy and a small group can come together and vandalize democracy.

And the whole society can come together including gentlemen of the fourth estate of the realm to enforce and restore democracy and the role our military played in destroying that election and also in returning us to civil rule.

All these bring the question of why do we have this republic? We have this republic so that we can determine our own destiny. We can come together and form a government that is meant to implement the provisions of our constitution especially chapter two of our constitution.

Therefore, the rituals of election will come and go, what is important is are we making progress and the only way we can make progress is if the electorate get enlightened and realise that the assumption that you have the right to vote is an assumption that you are a good citizen. And that you will study the issues and be motivated by the progress and desire for the development of your community.”

He also advised the electorate to shun trading their votes and avoid religious and tribal sentiments.

He continued, “Importantly, the electorate and the politicians must shun votes trading and voting along tribal and religious line as this is injurious to Democratic rules.
We must desist from vices like selling our votes and voting according to religious and tribal sentiments and all other distractions other than an attempt to give to ourselves a more perfect government, union and life. That is what the citizens should reflect upon election year after election year.

For the political parties, a political party is an ideological convergence of many citizens who feel the same way about the pact way for their country. It is not a place to put opinionated people and those who have no other means of livelihood than the exploitation of their follow citizens who want to participate in the governance of their country.

A political party should be people who are loyal to the country, who understand the issue of the day and who are ready to build a system for the development of future leaders. People who want to play fair and honest in every electoral contest and those who want to uphold the ideals of our society.

The government is not a place for personalization of public assets. A government is not a place for revenge, personal reward, egoism and aggrandizement. It is more a place of service and humility. A place of servanthood on behalf of the rest of the citizens who all cannot converge at the state house or converge at the National Assembly or judge every case in the judiciary.

Every position in public service is a trust, delegation and an attempt to do through few of us what majority of us desire.

Therefore, on this day, I plead on the media to educate the public to understand democracy imperfect as it may be, it is the fairest and surest way by which the minority can have their say and majority can have their way. And that the position of the majority and the minority would not be static, it will change from election to election.

But the direction the country should be travelling is the direction we can say that we have unity, faith, peace and progress.”

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