PDP says June 12 lessons still unlearnt, says democracy still weak

The Peoples Democratic Party has declared that Nigeria’s democracy remains fragile and unfinished 33 years after the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election.

The party described the nation’s democratic journey as one still burdened by unresolved governance and electoral challenges.

In a press statement issued on Friday to mark Democracy Day, the party reflected on the historic significance of the 1993 election, widely regarded as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history, and the national resistance that followed its annulment.

The statement, signed by Ini Ememobong, mnipr, National Publicity Secretary of the party’s Interim National Working Committee, reaffirmed the PDP’s position that democracy must be continuously defended, strengthened, and deepened beyond electoral cycles.

It recalled that Nigerians at the time demonstrated uncommon unity at the ballot box, transcending ethnic and regional divisions in pursuit of a shared national aspiration.

However, it noted that the aftermath of that election triggered a crisis that claimed lives and deepened distrust in democratic institutions.

It read, “Thirty-three years later, the lessons of June 12 ring out more resoundingly than ever, calling on the Federal Government to act responsibly to uphold democracy, to guarantee civil rights such as the right to peaceful assembly and protest, and to protect the democratic rights of the opposition.

“They remind the electoral umpire of its critical role in the survival of democracy, a role that demands transparent impartiality and unimpeachable fairness, not as aspirations, but as minimum standards.”

The party accused successive authorities of failing to fully internalise those democratic lessons, arguing that current realities reflect continued strain on civil liberties and democratic accountability.

“Reality check, however, provides damning evidence that under this APC-led Federal Government, the lessons of June 12 remain painfully unlearnt. Today, of all days-a day set aside to honour the blood of democratic martyrs, peaceful protesters were teargassed and assaulted in Abuja.

“Omoleye Sowore was reportedly injured and hospitalised for doing nothing more than demanding the immediate release of schoolchildren and teachers held hostage across different parts of the country.

“This Tinubu administration unashamedly prioritises optics over action, propaganda over policy, and dwells in a dangerous utopian self-delusion. Their disposition to governance has reduced this sacred day to a mere historic remembrance, rather than being a celebration of democratic consolidation,” it further stated.

Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, the PDP urged Nigerians to remain vigilant, warning that democratic gains must not be taken for granted.

It concluded, “As the 2027 elections approach, we are hopeful that this commemoration will serve as a timely reminder to every citizen of the importance of vigilance and the unrelenting demand for democratic consolidation.

“The sacrifices of the past must not be reduced to ceremonial memory. They must be active warnings, that this country must never again travel the path of state-engineered anti-democratic actions.”