Democracy Day in Nigeria is a day set aside to commemorate and mark the return of democratic rule in the country after many years of military rule. The Day marked on June 12 annually was selected by the former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to recognize the highest point of the fight for democracy in the country, which was the June 12, 1993, presidential election won by Chief MKO Abiola.
Before June 12 was selected as the official democracy day for the country, the day was formally celebrated on May 29, being the actual day that power changed hands from military to civilian rule. After 26 years of practicing democracy, the benefits have remained a subject of debate, with many Nigerians feeling that democracy has not only failed but has made the country worse, while others believe that, irrespective of the challenges, it is still better than military rule.
Some residents of Rivers State are of the opinion that democracy is not worth celebrating, especially with the state of emergency declared in the state in a very controversial manner. According to them, those who risked their lives to achieve democracy did not do so for a state of emergency to be declared in any part of the country.
A political affairs analyst, Mr. Jackson Lekan-Ojo, believed that even though the government was right to designate June 12 as a day to celebrate democracy, the nation has yet to witness the fullness of democracy at work. He wondered when the actual democratic dividends would be made available to all Nigerians to meet the expectations of martyrs of democracy.
The Deputy Governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Rivers State in the 2023 election, Mr. Sam Kenane, also believed that 26 years of democracy had not translated into joyful satisfaction, especially for the common people. A situation that he said has left a big question mark on the successive democratic administrations from 1999 to date
However, many believed that political leaders in the last 26 years have not done well; hence, a civil society activist, Mr. Courage Nsirimovu, insisted that Nigerians must find a way to change the narrative by pushing for the amendment of the nation’s electoral framework.
Democracy is popularly defined as government of the people, for the people, and by the people; therefore, the respondents noted that after 26 years of unbroken democratic rule in the country, Nigerians deserve a more democratic nation.
