We Can Have Elections Without Being Democratic – Says Tinubu
President Bola Tinubu has said that it is possible Nigeria can be having elections but without being democratic.
Tinubu who stated this in live broadcast to mark Nigeria’s Democracy Day, held on June 12, explained that democracy is a way of life that encompasses a broad outlook of which elections are but a part.
According to him, while elections attract dramatic attention, it remains one aspect of democracy, adding that Nigeria cannot afford to reduce it to being “nothing but the mere holding of periodic elections where one candidate and party outdo another”.
“Democracy is a way of life that encompasses a broad outlook of which elections are but a part. As such, a nation can have elections without being democratic. But a nation cannot be truly democratic without holding elections.
“That we have established a tradition of holding transparent, open, and fair elections gives credence to our democratic bearing. That we have experienced peaceful transitions of government affirms our democratic temperament.”
He, however, noted that true democracy “shines its light into the daily lives of the people who live under its nurturing wings. It affords us the freedom and liberty to think as we want, live where we want and pursue whatever legitimate endeavour that suits us.”
Democracy according him, does not assume some false or forced unity of opinion, while he maintained that “democracy assumes that conflicting ideas and differing opinions shall be the order of the day”.
“Given the diversity and variety of the human experience, there must be diverse perspectives and viewpoints,” he affirmed.
“What democracy demands is that we do not resolve differences through force and repression. But we make allowance for the legitimacy of views that differ from our own.”
