A former senator, Shehu Sani, says he is one of those who fought for and brought back democracy from military dictators, stating that he’s willing to fight again for it.
As the inauguration of the new government draws nearer, a new group of concerned stakeholders under the Citizen Action Movement has called for an “urgent citizen-driven action” to preserve the “fragile foundation of Nigeria’s democracy.”
Senator Sani is one of those at the forefront of the initiative.
During an interview with ARISE TVon Thursday, Sani stated that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had a history of never accepting defeat in elections, saying that they often challenged the results in court, which is why other opposition parties are challenging its (APC’s) victory in the recently concluded 2023 presidential election.
Sani, who was a founding member of the ruling APC, claimed that the party was once an opposition party that protested and challenged the victories of other parties in court, citing President Muhammadu Buhari’s protestation of the results of previous elections he lost.
Sani said that the APC’s actions had set the stage for people to not accept election results when they lose.
He said, “Our democracy is a product of struggle. People fought for it. People like me went to jail during the military rule. We made sacrifices and we see the ones who brought democracy to Nigeria. So we can’t fold our arms even if we don’t join political parties to contest and see this democracy dissolve on the platform of complacency.
“So I believe that as Nigeria moves to a new government, there’s the need for them to be reminded that they won the election to serve people and not a war that they’ve fought to conquer everyone.
“The fact that I was a member of a political party does not deny me the right to fight for democracy. I was at the forefront for June 12. We brought this democracy. This democracy is a product of what we fought. I will fight for it again.”
