The dangerous implication of June 12 as Democracy Day

After 25 years of sustained political propaganda by Yoruba elites, media and other groups on June 12 1993 presidential election which they claim always as the “freest and fairest election ever held in Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari has declared June 12 as Democracy Day.

In contrast to the thought of the president on the New Democracy Day, there is nothing symbolic about it. In fact, the hasty declaration is undemocratic itself. We can rightly say that ethnic politics has finally won.

The ethnic/regional struggle for the actualization of June 12th has contributed in stunting our democracy. The struggle itself has been reduced to a Yoruba affair, which may be the reason why since the annulment, only the states in the western part of Nigeria celebrate it.

The struggle culminated in the creation of violent groups like OPC, that caused problems in the western region. By declaring June 12,as Democracy Day, the president did not take cognizance of thousands of Nigerian citizens killed by OPC in the name of actualizing the June 12.

I must state here that the June 12 election was not all that free. In fact, the election was organized and conducted under the supervision of the Armed Forces Ruling council.

By dancing to this tune, President Buhari has opened himself wide for blackmail from other agitators who hide under democracy to make demands from government. The president should be ready for the coming pressure from restructuring advocates, the resource control advocates, the secessionists and regionalists and even criminals.