PDP has used June 12 democracy day celebration to demand for strong and independent democratic institutions in Nigeria.
NaijaOnPoint Nigeria reports that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on key democratic institutions, including the National Assembly, Judiciary, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to assert their independence and uphold the rule of law.
The party made this demand in a statement marking Nigeria’s June 12 Democracy Day, warning against what it described as the All Progressives Congress (APC) government’s attempts to undermine democracy.
In the statement signed by Hon. Debo Ologunagba, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, the party accused the APC of plotting to establish a one-party authoritarian regime, stifling democratic principles, and violating the constitution.
The party urged Nigerians, civil society, and international partners to unite in resisting what it termed the APC’s ‘anti-democratic designs.’
“The PDP is alarmed by the anti-democratic actions of the APC government, which continues to use compromised state apparatus to brazenly violate the Constitution, emasculate opposition, and manipulate democratic institutions,” Ologunagba stated.
The party specifically highlighted the subversion of the people’s will in the 2024 Edo State Governorship election and the imposition of a Sole Administrator in Rivers State as examples of the APC’s disregard for constitutional provisions. It described these actions as a ‘clear and present danger’ to Nigeria’s democracy.
“The brazen resort to State Capture, as exemplified in the subversion of the Will of the people in Edo State and the unconstitutional imposition of a Sole Administrator in Rivers State, signposts a clear and present danger to our democracy,” the PDP stated.
The main opposition party also linked its call to the legacy of Chief MKO Abiola, whose struggle for democracy is commemorated on June 12. It accused the APC of betraying the democratic values of freedom, justice, and credible elections that Abiola championed.
“June 12 Democracy Day embodies the struggle by Nigerians against an oppressive, despotic, and lawless system driven by impunity, high-level deception, and reckless anti-people tendencies as being witnessed under the APC administration,” the party declared.
The PDP demanded that the APC administration respect the principle of separation of powers, end its interference in the activities of the National Assembly and other democratic institutions, and commit to credible elections. It also called for a review of what it termed the APC’s ‘poverty weaponizing policies.’
“The PDP demands that the APC administration respects the memory of Chief Abiola, the law, and the sovereignty of the Nigerian people by adhering to the Principle of Separation of Powers, ending the intrusion in the activities of the National Assembly, INEC, and the Judiciary, and allowing for a free press,” Ologunagba emphasized.
The party congratulated Nigerians on Democracy Day and urged them to remain steadfast in their commitment to democracy. It called on citizens to rally with the PDP as it prepares to ‘rescue the nation from the stranglehold of the APC’ ahead of the 2027 elections.
“The PDP urges Nigerians not to allow the vicious plot of any individual or group to destroy their confidence in democracy but to remain law-abiding and continue to rally with the PDP as we reposition ahead of the 2027 elections,” the statement added.