Victoria Benedict
Citizens’ Democratic Movement in the Defence of Nigeria’s Democracy, convened by former President, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), Comrade Shehu Sanni, Amb Nkoyo Toyo, Prof. Udenta Udenta, Salisu Mohammed and Olawale Okunniyi have called on the NBA and Nigerians to join hands with it to defend Nigeria’s democracy.
This was contained in a statement made at a press conference by Citizens’ Democratic Movement, which is on a course to protect the nation’s democracy and in solidarity with the Nigerian workers, which was held at Labour House, Abuja.
The group said that, the 2023 general elections have taken place but its ripples and aftermath for the nation’s promising democracy have been worrisome and frightening.
“Some of us, who are architects of Nigeria’s current democratic experience, being human rights leaders, political rights advocates, progressives, civil society and labour movement activists that fought the military for the restoration of democratic governance in Nigeria, have watched with utter astonishment, how the processes and procedures meant to consolidate our 24 years of democratic wins have been greatly eroded through the 2023 general elections.
“We entered this season of elections with a strong consensus by Nigerians that the new Electoral Act 2022 will improve the level of electoral accountability and that the huge financial investment of about N355 billion in electoral processes (involving the deployment of Bi-Modal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IREV) technology), will make a marked difference to the elections.
“As Vanguards for the Defence of Nigeria’s democracy, we will strive to protect our collective democratic aspirations and ethos as a country; with our immediate goal being to hold a watching brief over the judiciary and its actions. We are therefore soliciting the cooperation of the NBA and lawyers for democratic justice, to partner with us to re-awaken the consciousness of the judiciary to its constitutional responsibility of defending our frail democracy through the enthronement of justice.
“Consequently, we wish to call on all Nigerians to stand up, join us and be counted in our renewed struggle for the Defence of Democracy and Rule of Law in Nigeria.
“Our calling is to stay focused as citizens with a vested interest in the survival of a healthy democracy. We are drawn from the Nigerian civil society, labour movement and many other progressive constituencies with nationalistic conscience, fully conscious of our historical experiences and with strong ties with the new generation of activists and youths, who are willing and ready to rally behind the recent electoral reforms as contained in past and recent Electoral Act. This new push for holistic popular and judicial rescue based on democratic principles shall not be dimmed by what we see as thwarting tendencies facilitated by State Actors. We believe it is our responsibility to protect and uphold the democratic gains our country has made and by standing up for a rules based democracy as required by the 1999 Constitution of the FRN and Electoral Act, 2022, we shall preserve that which we have laboured to build in the past 24 years.
“Our belief is firm that with these democratic principles, we can continue to resist through peaceful means, the heinous dangers of allowing compromised, discredited and flawed elections to subvert our common destiny and a prosperous future of Nigeria, for which we all badly yearn,” the group stated.
