2019 elections: Group laments outcome, says nation’s democracy in danger

Nigerians from across board with the interest of the survival of the nation at heart have been called upon to unite to ensure the survival of the nation’s democracy against individuals who are desirous of lording their personal interest over and above the national interest.

Making the call in Lagos yesterday, the chairman of Nigerian Ethnic Nationality Youth Leaders Forum (NENYLF), Alhaji Yerima Shetimma, they are worried about the political development in the country, which if care is not taken could lead the nation into a disastrous end, noting that the nation’s democracy is being raped and political injustices melted on Nigerians and that there is the need to arrest the development.

Shetimma, who is also the President, Arewa Consultative Youth Forum, who spoke when the group led its maiden National Peace and Unity Rally from the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, to Labour House in Yaba, said that he was sad that the recent elections in the country was marred by massive irregularities and frauds that is care was not taken could have dare consequences on the nation.

According to him, “Our outing today is a result of the injustices melted on Nigerians, we intend to go to across the six geo political zones and ensure that we speak to the people, we conscientise the people, let the people realise the consequences of what is happening in the country, because democracy has been raped already.

“For some of us who have passion for the people, having spent over 20 years in the trenches and paid our dues and make sacrifices, the way we look at things is not the way others will look at it, it is our responsibilities to ensure that people of like minds come together and ensure the right thing is done, due process must be followed and the will of the people must be seen to prevail above any other interest.”

He lamented what he described as a threat to the nation’s democracy, which he said the last elections in the country represents, “Democracy has been threatened already, from all indications well meaning Nigerians must come on board now to begin to save the situation and face reality, some of us feel very pained because we have paid our dues in the struggle and we are still in the trenches.

“This is not the kind of democracy we all envisaged, we thought that by now we would have gotten to another level of this our young democracy, but from all indications we are backward more under this administration of the APC (All Progressives Congress ) and under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“That is why some of us feel that we need to draw attention to it and tell Nigerians the consequences of this recent election, both the presidential and the governorship, it is nothing to write home about, it was marred with mass rigging and it is an abuse on the sensibility of Nigerians.

“Let me start from the presidential, if you look very well you could see that the people came out enmass and voted who they wanted and people have actually spoken, but from all indications you could see that the second election has justified what happened in the first election, despite the poor turnout and that is a clear indication that Nigerians are not happy, some of us saw this coming when we drew attention of Nigerians to it and many people felt that we were just talking because we want to talk, but we all can see from all indications that even from inception that the INEC compromised the election.

“I do not also see the business of the military playing a major role in an election in a constitutional democracy such as ours, so you can see that talking of integrity there is no integrity, and there is a serious flop

“For us as activists, we will mobilise and rally people around, we will ensure that Nigerians feel and have a sense of reasoning, we won’t just fold our hands and allow people run the country as if the country is being ruled by an emperor, we won’t sit down and allow Nigerians to be treated as if we are in a banana republic, no, this is a country.

This is a clarion call that all Nigerians must respond to and ensure that the right thing is being done,” he said.

Also speaking, the Secretary General, NENYLF, Aremo Oladotun Hassan, Esq, urged Nigerians not to allow anyone push them into taking the line of politics of tribe and religion, noting that doing that will mean a death knead on the country.

“There is need for Nigerians to see value in our unity, to ensure that no political person should use his personal motive to divide us, I believe that on its own is being achieved, you can see that we are relating and we are passing a message to all our leaders that irrespective of the political issues that is on ground, let no one play the ethnic card, because it is very dangerous to the players and to the drummers themselves.

“Let nobody use ethnic bigotry, let nobody use religion, because those are real issues that can really nosedive into a national civil war if not properly contained,” he said.