Governor ChukwumaSoludo of Anambra State has been nominated as a lead speaker in this year’s Democracy Day event at The Platform – an annual event powered by Pastor PojuOyemade to chart a course for Nigeria and Africa on the way forward.
A statement by the governor’s press secretary, Mr. Christian Aburime, revealed that Soludowill be speaking alongside Governor BabajideSanwo-Olu of Lagos State as lead speaker.
Other speakers include former Governor RajiFashola and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, YakubuDogara.
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In a related development, President Bola Tinubu was urged to give national recognition to the late Chairman of Nigeria’s electoral body, Professor Humphrey Nwosu, in order to make the celebration of June 12 as Democracy Day more inclusive.
A pan-Igbo group, Ndi Igbo Intellectual and Cultural Development Organisation (NIDO), made the call in a statement signed by its Director of Communications and Information, Dr. Christian Afulike.
NIDO said the June 12 honours list should be complete.
The press release by the Anambra State governor stated that Soludo, a former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), renowned economist, and adviser to several leading world financial bodies, will be speaking on the theme, “Rebuilding The Nation.”
Aburime said Soludo, who is known not to shy away from speaking frank truths, will during the event bare his mind on issues with incisive messages.
The statement said, “As Nigeria marks another Democracy Day amidst the familiar chorus of challenges, one voice consistently rising above the din, attracting attention across geopolitical divides, is that of Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR.
“He actively champions national unity, consistently rejecting divisive rhetoric, while demanding fairness and equity for the South-east within the Nigerian project. This blend of frankness and undaunted faith makes his patriotism compelling and credible.
“His interventions, whether on monetary policy, economic reforms, security, or national cohesion, are dissected nationwide because they carry weight. They are informed by experience, backed by data, and delivered with a palpable passion for the nation.
“This is why Nigerians from all walks of life should keenly anticipate Governor Soludo’s Democracy Day presentation this Thursday, June 12th, at The Platform in Lagos as he speaks on Rebuilding the Nation.”
It would be recalled that Tinubu had dropped May 29 and adopted June 12 as Democracy Day in honour of late MoshoodAbiola, the presumed winner of the presidential election held on June 12, 1993.
But NIDO said it was fitting and sensible to also honourNwosu, who conducted the poll believed to have been won by Abiola and widely adjudged as the most credible, freest and transparent election in Nigeria’s history.
The group stated that it smacked of double standards to deny Nwosu a national honour while honouring the beneficiary of the election he conducted with patriotic zeal, adding that Mr. President should correct the anomaly.
NIDO stated, “We demand due recognition and celebration of Prof Humphrey Nwosu through the naming of a befitting national edifice representative of any of our democratic institutions after the late egg head and proponent of ‘option A4’.
“This gesture will serve to encourage serving and future electoral umpires in the country to serve with diligence and integrity, thereby strengthening the nation’s democracy beyond the ritual of electoral reforms.”
NIDO argued that there was no denying the fact that Nwosu made invaluable contributions towards making Nigeria’s democracy and electoral process trustworthy, hence he should be immortalised.
According to the group, bestowing a national honour on Nwosu would showcase him as a model worthy of emulation by present and future electoral umpires in Nigeria.
NIDO lamented, “Late Prof Humphrey Nwosu’s indelible contributions to Nigeria’s electoral process seems to have been deliberately forgotten by a nation that delights more in celebrating mediocrity.
“Without doubt, it reeks of double standards to recognise (June 12, 1993) election as the most credible in the history of elections in Nigeria; recognise the outcome of the election; and at the same time pretend to forget the brain behind the entire process.
“This is unacceptable and is surely at the heart of the abysmally poor performance of Nigeria’s electoral body in all other elections conducted in the country since then.”
The group condemned “without reservations, this deliberate act of denying Prof. Humphrey Nwosu the honour that he deserves by successive governments at both the federal and state levels”.
NIDO pointed out that the non-recognition of Nwosu’s patriotic service had become an encouragement for the poor performance of subsequent electoral umpires in the country, hence the current sorry state of governance in the country.
The presidential poll of June 12, 1993 and its outcome were officially recognised by the administration of former President MuhammaduBuhari, but it was Tinubu who changed Democracy Day to June 12, from May 29.
However, NIDO said by not factoring Nwosu into the mix, “The Nigerian state seems to have relapsed into a state of deliberate amnesia as there is no mention of the umpire who courageously and meticulously oversaw the elections”.
While acknowledging the need to need to mark June 12, the group observed that the celebration “represents a scant atonement for the brutal deprivation and denial of the mandate freely given by Nigerian citizens through the most credible elections the country has ever witnessed”.
The group, “As Nigeria observes the day, it is an opportunity to reflect on the gains and pains of today’s democratic governance riding on the back of seven successive national elections in 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023 under different electoral umpires.”
