Former Head of State, Gen. AbdulSalami Abubakar (rtd), has said 26 years of uninterrupted democracy should be attributed to the resilience of ordinary Nigerians.
Speaking at the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC)’s public presentation of its book, with the theme: “100 Years of Political Parties Evolution in Nigeria, the Imperative of Nigeria’s Political Stability: Issues and Solutions’, Abubakar noted that 2025 will make it 102 years of the formation of political parties in the country, adding that it was a milestone in the nation’s democratic process.
Represented by his Chief Security Officer (CSO), Gen. AbdulRashid Aliyu, the former Head of State said despite military interventions, democracy has come to stay in Nigeria, insisting that there is no substitute to the government of the people, by the people and for the people, which democracy represents as sovereignty resides with the people.
The former Head of State also noted that the 26 years of unbroken democracy in the country is the longest period of Constitutional governance since 1st October 1960. “I am happy that my government, as the then military Head of State ushered in this era of democracy when I handed over power to the elected President on 29th May 1999”, he stated.
He urged the nation’s political parties to consider some of the past practices in party democracy which he lamented are currently being downplayed by political players. According to him, “Some of these are supremacy of the party leadership, adherence to party manifestos; and formation of party and membership based on ideology”.
Speaking earlier, the Chief host and National Chairman of IPAC, Yusuf Mamman Ɗantalle, said that the launch of the book, which marks a century of political party activities in the country remains significant.
The then military Head of State ushered in this era of democracy when he handed over power to the elected President on 29th May 1999, signaling commencement of the 4th Republic.
