Osun State Governorship Election And President Tinubu’s Democratic Principles

By Michael Oghenejode

The most difficult leaders to manipulate are those who resent hypocrisy and uphold strong principles and moral conviction anchored on visionary ideas. Laws are the arteries that drive the progress of any society, and. a democrat does not satisfy unpatriotic emotions to bruise a nation’s channels of growth. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a great democrat, embodies the realities of these assertions.

Since the beginning of his political career in 1991 under the Social Democratic Party, Tinubu has stanchly and constantly presented himself as an obsessive democrat. He demonstrated his democratic ideas during his vigorous campaign for the candidacy of Moshood Kashimawo Abiola. In fact, after the annulment of the results of the June 12, 1993 presidential elections, Tinubu became a founding member of the pro-democracy group, National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), which was used to mobilise support for the restoration of democracy. The group called for the announcement of Chief Abiola as the winner of the June 12 election.
During the military era, Tinubu sacrificed so much in defense of democracy. When General Sani Abacha seized power as military Head of State, Tinubu was subjected to frequent arrests, detentions, and dehumanisation which posed serious threats to his life. Undeterred by the persecutions, he joined the struggle for democratic rule in Nigeria during his exile abroad. Tinubu returned to Nigeria in 1998 after the death of Abacha, which eventually ushered in the transition to the Fourth Nigerian Republic.

ALSO READ: CDHR Delta Faults State Government’s Purchase Of Vessels, Says It’s Misplaced Priority

The just concluded Governorship election in Osun State is a clear reflection of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s resolve to uphold democratic tenets, which has been his trademarks since his inroad into politics in 1991. The total autonomy enjoyed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the conduct of the election in Osun State, attests to Tinubu’s quest to strengthen democratic ideologies. Tinubu’s enthusiasm to sustain democratic ideals is palpable in his prompt and courageous acknowledgement of Chief Ademola Adeleke of Accord Party as winner of the Osun State Governorship election, through a congratulatory call. Although the All Progressives Party (APC) mobilised support for their candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, Tinubu refused to manifest sentiments that would be injurious to the country. This assertion of justice in a very inconveniencing context, is model that should be adopted by Nigerian politicians. In other words, politicians should borrow a leaf from President Tinubu’s democratic tendencies and eschew the politics of acrimony.

That singular defense of democracy in Osun State stalled every appearance of violence that was gathering like a storm. As a visionary and humanistic leader, President Tinubu repulses the politics of manipulation, aggression, repression and destruction. Like the tough, regenerative economic decisions he took, he has refused, once again, to be swayed by the emotions of those who profit from the ruins of powers. President Tinubu’s role in the Osun State Governorship election evokes deep memories rooted in Nigerian political history— It conjures remembrances of his struggles to defend democratic tenets.

President Tinubu deserves an applause for his commitment to uphold and defend democratic principles in Nigeria!