By Deborah Nnamdi
Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has urged President Bola Tinubu to take inspiration from former Presidents Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan in promoting democratic values.
Speaking in his Democracy Day address on June 12, the former Anambra State governor called on Tinubu to emulate Yar’Adua, who openly acknowledged the flaws in the electoral process that brought him to power and took steps to correct them.
Obi also praised Jonathan for safeguarding Nigeria’s democracy by conceding defeat peacefully, even before the final results were announced, a move he described as crucial for political stability.
Appealing for reforms to strengthen democracy, Obi stated:
“I urge President Tinubu to follow the example of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, who demonstrated integrity by admitting that the process leading to his presidency lacked credibility and who committed to rectifying those issues in defense of democracy.
“In the same spirit, former President Goodluck Jonathan protected our fragile democracy by conceding defeat even before the results were fully declared—an act of rare statesmanship.”
Obi criticized the current state of governance in Nigeria, lamenting that the country can no longer be considered a true democracy due to rampant impunity, state capture, and the erosion of the rule of law and institutional checks and balances.
