PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has said that there’s no plan by his administration to turn Nigeria into one-party state.
Tinubu stated this while addressing the joint session of the National Assembly in Abuja on Thursday in commemoration of this year’s Democracy Day.
“I have no plans to turn Nigeria into a one-party state. I have never altered the registration of any political party in INEC. I will be the last person to advocate such a thing,” he said.
Tinubu, however, affirmed his willingness to welcome any person who deemed it fit to join the ruling APC.
The president, who restated his commitment to strengthening democracy, said that he had never altered any political party’s registration at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He announced the conferment of honorary awards on the late Kudirat Abiola, the late Chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC), Prof Humphrey Nwosu, the late Gen. Shehu Yar’Adua and Ken Saro-Wiwa.
Tinubu saluted Nigerians’ resilience and doggedness in entrenching democracy in the country.
According to him, since 1999, democracy has risen from the ashes and destitution of military rule to freedom for the people today.
He commended the National Assembly, describing it as an embodiment of people’s representation.
The president, who highlighted the progress made so far in Nigeria’s democratic journey, paid tributes to all the fallen heroes and heroines of democracy.
He affirmed the easing out of inflation, stabilisation of naira exchange rate, increased revenue as one of the achievements of his administration in the last two years.
Tinubu expressed his administration’s commitment to achieving food sovereignty through agricultural reforms.
He said that his government was committed to giving young people opportunities through skill acquisition and job creation.
Earlier, the Senate President, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, described the national asseembly as a bastion of democracy.
Akpabio saluted those he called gladiators of democracy, including Tinubu, for defying oppression in order to restore democracy in Nigeria.
He recalled how the gladiators of democracy resisted military oppression to reclaim the June 12 mandate.
According to him, on June 12, election was not only annulled but Nigeria’s innocence was killed.
He particularly paid tribute to the late MKO Abiola for standing for his mandate and his campaign slogan, entitled: “Nigeria on the march again.”
The senate president lauded Tinubu’s economic reforms which, he said, had been yielding results.
“Under Tinubu, we have seen reforms from removal of subsidy, unification of exchange rate to tax reforms,” he sai..
Akpabio reaffirmed the willingness of the national assembly to partner with the executive in addressing Nigeria’s complex issues.
He expressed the importance of executive and parliamentary partnership for enhanced accelerated development.
Also speaking, Speaker of House of Representatives, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen, said that Tinubu’s speech was a testament to the resilience of democratic institutions.
Tajudeen noted that over the past 26 years, the national assembly had served as the guardian of democracy.
He particularly cited the doctrine of necessity aimed at ensuring uninterrupted governance and preservation of democratic institutions as part of the achievements of the legislature (NAN)
