National leader of the All Progressives Congress,
APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has stated that since
Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, most of
the elections in the country have been full of
irregularities and frauds. Tinubu said the
development was a mockery of democracy.
The former Lagos State governor gave this
disclosure during the inaugural lecture of the
Freedom House Democracy Lecture series in
Lagos on Monday.
Speaking on the recently concluded governorship
election in Ekiti State, where Ayo Fayose of the
PDP was declared winner, Tinubu said stopping
key APC members from travelling into Ekiti state
prior to th election was undemocratic.
According to him, “Instead of being the periodic
celebration of democracy, elections in Nigeria
have generally mocked the very notion of
democracy they are supposed to uphold. Worst
has been what comes after elections.
“Since the winner often is not chosen by the
people but by some subterranean process, he
continues to dishonour the people while resorting
to that subterranean process in how he rules.
Generally, these office holders believe they have
the inborn right to rule instead of been given a
duty to govern.
“For the most part, elections have become a
perverse form of modern coronation. Instead of
choosing public servants, elections in Nigeria
have been basically to select a new aristocracy,
an elected royalty.”
Also speaking at the event, Rivers State Governor,
Rotimi Amaechi, called on Nigerians to mobilise
for street protest as a way to stop stealing by
public funds, adding that pelting of guilty public
leaders could also deter them from diverting
government funds for their private use.
He said, “The only way to stop us from stealing
is to stone us. The followers are equally guilty as
the leadership. The institutions are already
compromised and there is no alternative to them.
Nigerians seem not be against corruption but
they are against how long you stay being corrupt.
Don’t expect those in public office to fight
corruption.”
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