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| Arch Bishop Onaiyekan |
He alleged that some supposedly repentant Democrats who are presently occupying political offices in the democratic systems are still operating with the mindset of military coup plotters, and that could be seen in their utterances and official engagements.
The cardinal who made the observation at a press conference in Abuja, to herald week-long activities to mark his 75th birthday anniversary, said he was unhappy that Nigeria had continued to make two steps forward and five steps backwards, in spite of the abundance of human and natural resources at her disposal.
He said: “Nigeria has been beating around the bush as far as democracy is concerned. 30 years of military rule was about dictatorship and outright order. Nigerians tolerated it for so long that it assumed a normal situation. I hope that by now, Nigerians must have realised that it was a wrong way to go.
“But it’s obvious that we have not recovered from the infection of the military rule. Regrettably, many of the actors in current democratic systems are still acting with the mindset of military coup plotters. They talk with military tone. They see an election like a do or die affair. They use the word ‘capturing power’ which are the wrong statement in democratic system.
“It’s evident that progress will continue to elude us until we retrace our steps and do the right thing. Former President Jonathan set good precedence when he willingly conceded defeat in 2015 election. That was because African leaders rarely concede defeat in an election. I had expected losers in the forthcoming elections to concede defeat, but from all indications, otherwise might be the case.”
He added that the world has beamed its searchlight on Nigeria, and they would use the forthcoming elections to assess Nigeria’s readiness for democracy.
“But I am an optimist, and I believe that the right things would be done to strengthen the credibility of the forthcoming elections,” he said.
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