Nigeria: Build Democracy That'll Reduce Friction - Jonathan to Tinubu

11 June 2024

... urges political class to listen to voice of citizens

Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday told President Bola Tinubu's administration to build a democracy that will reduce frictions after elections, describing the avalanche of litigation that follows elections in the country as embarrassing.

The former president also warned that democracy that is built on ethnicity and religion does not endure.

Speaking as the Chairman of the Democracy Day Public Lecture with the theme: "25 Years of Enduring Democracy: Prospect for the Future" at the Old Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja, the former President noted that in the last 25 years, Nigeria has built an economy that was once the biggest economy in Africa.

Although he said that the country's democratic consolidation has not been an easy one, he said that for democracy to yield dividends, the political actors must change their flamboyant style.

Jonathan, who emphasised the need to strengthen state institutions in order to strengthen democracy, condemned what he described as politics where the winner takes all, saying that it is not healthy in a democratic system.

The former president advised the National Assembly to look at a governance model that can suit the country in order for the people to benefit from the needed dividends.

Details later...

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