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Akpabio to Tinubu: Due to your courage, Nigeria enjoys democracy today
Godswill Akpabio, Senate President, left no word out on Thursday in extolling President Bola Tinubu as an architect of the democracy Nigeria enjoys today, saying had he taken the easy way out, the country would still be under the vice grip of the military.
Akpabio, in his speech, to mark the 32nd anniversary of June 12, which has since replaced May 29 as Nigeria’s Democracy Day, poured encomiums on the President, whose battle to restore the sanctity of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, now confirmed to have been won by Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO), Abiola had to go on exile with other members of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) from where they continued to launch lacerating attacks on the military junta in the country.
Their efforts eventually paid off after the sudden death of Sani Abacha, the Nigerian military General, who took over government in 1993 and posted a record as the most despotic regime in the history of the country, with Abdulsalami Abubakar, his successor, setting off a period of transition that eventually led to return of democratic rule in the country.
Since that epochal event when the last military General handed over power to Olusegun Obasanjo, on May 29, 1999, Nigeria has maintained an unbroken period of democracy spanning a record 26 years, the longest in the country with five different civilian Presidents in-between.
Recalling this historical sequence, a visibly enthralled Akpabio, who spoke at the at the joint sitting of the House of Representatives and the Senate to hear the address of Tinubu as part of the activities to mark the 2025 Democracy Day celebration, was also full of praises to the President on his handling of his job since assuming power in 2023.
Amid the full assemblage of the federal lawmakers and top government functionaries, Akpabio, former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, told his guest: “The National Assembly is proud to host you, our President, our compatriot, and one of our own, as you fulfil the solemn constitutional duty of addressing the nation.
“This chamber honours you not merely as the President, but as one of the architects of the very democratic foundation we commemorate today. Under President Tinubu’s leadership, we have seen transformation in his bold approach to difficult reforms.
“From unifying the foreign exchange market, to local government autonomy, to the formation of the regional development commissions, to Nigerian Education Loan Fund, to removing fuel subsidies, to attracting foreign investments, to tax reforms, this administration has not shied away from the hard decisions required to stabilize and grow our economy.
“These efforts are gradually restoring investor confidence, laying the foundations for long-term prosperity, and refocusing government expenditure toward productive investments. Mr President, we commend you for your boldness, your vision, and your unwavering belief in Nigeria’s future. Likewise, the 10th National Assembly.”
Emphasising Tinubu’s pro-democracy, he added: “Many, including Your Excellency, stood tall in those days of darkness. While others chose silence or compromise, you chose courage. At great personal cost, NADECO which you were part of, helped sustain the flame of liberty when it was most at risk of going out. So as we mark this day, let us remember those who bled so we could vote.
“Those who took risks so we could speak. Those who were buried so that freedom might rise. Let us also pay tribute to all those who played pivotal roles in Nigeria’s democratic transition. This year’s theme – 26 Years of Democracy: Renewing Our Commitment to National Development – is not a slogan. It is a call to purpose.
He also praised the National Assembly for its own great record in sustaining democracy and assisting the President in running a seamless government, saying: “From its inception, the 10th Senate demonstrated a renewed vigor for addressing the country’s complex challenges through purposeful legislation. This commitment is reflected in its extraordinary output: a total of 844 bills have been introduced within its first two years—an unprecedented figure that underscores the Senate’s proactive posture in tackling pressing national issues.
“Out of this impressive volume, 107 bills are currently at the committee stage, undergoing the necessary scrutiny and stakeholder engagement that ensures quality legislation, 206 bills are awaiting first reading, reflecting a robust pipeline of legislative ideas prepared for formal introduction, and 409 bills have advanced to second reading.
“Notably, the Senate has passed 96 bills, a record for any Nigerian Senate at this stage of the legislative cycle. Even more significantly, 52 of these bills have been assented to by the President, translating into enforceable laws that will shape governance, economic development, public welfare, and national security.
“These bills include the National Education Fund, local government autonomy bill, regional development commissions, tax reforms, universities and tertiary institutions, agricultural institutions etc. Moreover, the Tenth Senate has acted decisively on 26 Executive Bills, showcasing a healthy balance of cooperation and oversight in its engagement with the executive arm.
“These executive-sponsored legislations address key policy areas and benefit from the Senate’s thorough review and refinement before passage. Beyond bills, the 10th Senate has received a total of 80 petitions from citizens and civil society. This is a testimony to public trust in the institution. Of these, 18 petitions have been fully adopted, providing redress, transparency, and institutional accountability”.
One of the highlights of the day was the conferment, by President Tinubu, of national honours on dozens of distinguished Nigerians, including posthumous awards for late pro-democracy activists, politicians, journalists, and civil rights leaders.
Tinubu, who described the recipients as “heroes and heroines of democracy,” noting that the awards served as a tribute to the sacrifices made in the struggle to entrench and sustain democracy in Nigeria, also decorated the presiding officers of the National Assembly with the award of national honours earlier conferred on them.
Peter Obi, candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has given assignment to Nigerians to put all those aspiring to take up political positions in the country through the grill to ascertain their level of integrity, saying it was required as a sine qua non for the job they seek.
Obi, who has been a subject of discussion in the polity since the allegation of corruption was levied against him by Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesman of his campaign in 2023, over the conduct of the party’s primaries to choose candidates for the 2027 general elections, said the grilling must start with his own person.
A guest in an interview on a podcast with Rufai Oseni, a popular television anchor, the former Governor of Anambra State, stated that it was actually for this reason that he had now sworn to see the litigation he instituted against Okonkwo through.
His take is that the Nollywood actor should use the courtrooms to give all the details of bad behaviour, following his threat to expose him fully, after alleging that he was collecting money from aspirants in the said election for electoral favours.
Hear him: “The issue of taking Kenneth Okonkwo to court wouldn’t have arisen if he had stopped at those allegations. But he claimed he still has more he would expose about me in the future. So, I am very happy to take him to court so that he can expose me publicly, alongside other Nigerians. If any of them has any criminal allegations against me, they should bring them to court.
“Not just Kenneth, everybody should now say those things they know that is bad about me or I did that is wrong because it’s good for the system, it’s good for the society,” Obi said.
“So, if you know that when we were in primary school, this man was cheating or didn’t go to the primary school, didn’t go to secondary school, didn’t do, if you know this man has done something criminal somewhere, this is time to bring it up.”
For the umpteenth time, Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned about the dangerous implication of using state institutions, particularly the judiciary to destroy Nigeria’s democracy, saying it is an ill-wind that blows nobody any good.
Atiku, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), speaking on the heels of Tuesday’s verdict of the Court of Appeal, halting the de-registration order by the Federal High Court, insisted that judicial officers must not lend themselves to any act capable of undermining the nation’s democratic process.
The appellate court had ordered a stay of execution on the order made on Monday by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court Abuja, for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC alongside four other political parties).
A totally scandalised Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, had taken umbrage, sparing no hard words in upbraiding the lower court judge, stating that his likes were unfit to sit on the bench.
In a unanimous ruling by a three-man panel, the court held that Lifu’s action was “the highest form of judicial impertinence”, stressing that the Supreme Court previously held that a judge who acted in such a manner.
Describing his conduct as the height of judicial rascality, the upper court, stated: “Courts are enjoined to protect their integrity. This Court has supervisory authority over the trial court.
“The decision of the lower court to proceed with the judgment despite the express order of this court is a brazen violation of the hierarchy of the court and the 1999 Constitution.
This court has the duty to invoke its powers in ensuring that its orders are obeyed. The application for a stay of execution is here yet granted. The enforcement of the judgment is stayed.”
Atiku, who hailed the position of the higher court, which restored his hope to be on the ballot as presidential candidate in the 2027 election, also noted the role of INEC as “significant.”
He said: “I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to stay the execution of the Federal High Court judgement seeking the deregistration of our great party, the ADC, and four other political parties. It is particularly significant that INEC itself initiated the application for the stay.
“The development reflects growing public concern over judicial contradictions and politically charged rulings within the judiciary. “Any attempt to undermine Nigeria’s hard-won democracy through judicial manipulation is a grave danger to the Republic. If our democracy suffers further injury, history will demand accountability from those entrusted with dispensing justice.
Outside ADC, Lifu’s order, also included: Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), similarly slammed for allegedly failing to meet the constitutional requirements for continued registration and participation in elections.
“He is running in contempt of the court. Justice Lifu should be arrested because he is acting in contempt of the court which is a criminal act,” were the exact words with which the African Democratic Congress (ADC), demonstrated its angst over the court ruling on Monday, ordering its de-registration as a political party in Nigeria.
A furious Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the party, told his host while appearing as a guest on Monday’s edition of Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television that the judge of the Abuja Federal High Court who gave the order was actually playing with fire because of the consequences.
Directly accusing him of playing the script of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to ensure that President Bola Tinubu emerged the sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election, the party spokesman, was emphatic that the plan would not work, as head or tail, ADC must be on the ballot in all the elections.
Hear him: “There is a Court of Appeal order saying don’t hear this case until October 27. So, on what basis? You can’t place something on nothing. The Court of Appeal said don’t act on this until I hear it on October 27. So, on what basis did he deliver the judgement
“So, for us in the African Democratic Congress, what we’re convinced and they know is what they have done has no leg to stand on legally. What they want to do is to create doubts in the minds of the people that this ADC has too many legal cases, can we actually run on this? And to distract us. But we’re not distracted.
“We’re very clear. It was in spite of all they have done since ADC came on board that we ran one of the best and one of the most comprehensive direct primaries in the history of democracy in Nigeria. So, we are strong enough to withstand this. And that’s why I’m saying that we are going to contest in 2027. We’re ADC. We don’t buckle before dictatorship.”
Stressing on the implication of the judgement, which also affected Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) for allegedly failing to meet constitutional and electoral performance requirements, following a suit by the National Forum of Former Legislators, he said it portended grave danger.
He added: “We are not surprised. We know that the Nigerian people believe that there is a problem with the judiciary, but what we did not expect is the level of judicial rascality that was demonstrated today.
“What we are saying is that we reject it in its totality, and we are saying that the people behind this are playing with fire. Hundreds, if not thousands, have obtained nomination forms and contested elections and emerged as candidates on the platform of the ADC.”
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