Democracy activists in Lagos set aside spousal considerations last Saturday, a day globally celebrated as lovers’ day, to canvass the consolidation of the country’s democracy. It was a unique of Valentine Day.

By Bashir Adefaka
IT was the first outing for the group of pro-democracy activists and there was no better place to hang out than the Gani Fawehinmi Park which is so named in honour of one of Nigeria’s fiercest canvassers of democracy and liberty.

The crowd that came was motivated by events earlier in the preceding week when the election management body postponed the scheduled presidential elections. Many of the activists felt that the postponement was done to actualise the goals of some perceived interests.

That message was passed across by many of the activists who were led by human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) for the event styled as ‘Sit Out:’ Citizen Expression of Love for Democracy rally. The event was organised by Nigerians United for Democracy.

Falana, who pointed out that it was not only unconstitutional for outside forces to meddle with election matters. For Falana even the president’s use of a military officer as his aide-de-camp, ADC, as has been the tradition with all past civilian presidents was out of order and that it should be stopped forthwith.

“If they dare to postpone the election again, we are going to fight them,” Falana said. “The President said he put Jega there as INEC chairman and that he put the national commissioners of INEC. No. You did not put Jega there, neither did you put the national commissioners of INEC but the Constitution put them there.

Pro-democracy activist

“No person, not even the President, can remove Jega. If you want to remove Jega, you have to go to the National Assembly with an address itemising the reasons you want him to be removed. And there is no such reason.”

Pro-democracy activist Lanre Suraj who was also present on his part said the rally was meant, “To express our love for democracy and clearly tell the ruling class why they must allow Jega to conduct the 2015 elections as constitutionally stipulated. I mean, you cannot have a baby without pregnancy and so Jega must be allowed to undertake his constitutional responsibility.

“It is also important to state here that the PDP-led Federal Government is already calling for drop of card reader in this electoral conduct and we say no to drop of card reader. It is unacceptable to us and the INEC must go ahead with it in order for us to a credible election,

In his own address, another constitutional lawyer and human rights activist, Mr. Ijiti Ogunye, said, “If you are part of the process that led to the arrival of democracy in 1999, you cannot but be disappointed today that the beneficiaries of the process, who took over in 1999, have consistently failed to make any change. At a critical moment, the politicians came to reap where they did not sow, which is to say that they are now in trouble and we cannot fold our arms and watch them. That is why we are out here to express our love for democracy.

“This gathering is not about any party but about ensuring that dictatorship is not restored in our country any longer,” he said.

In his own address, former Secretary General of Campaign for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Barrister Malachy Ugwummadu, who said he was not just from the Niger Delta but also from the creeks, hinted that the truth was, “Nothing has changed in the country but the change must come and it must be said that people who make peaceful change impossible will make violent change inevitable,” Malachy spoke just as former Chairman, Ikeja Branch of Nigerian Bar Association, Barrister Onyekachi Ubani said he would never take anything for granted concerning the survival of democracy in the country.

The peak of the addresses was the speech delivered at the rally by Falana, who was at the event addressed as the ‘Baba of today’.

After dancing to the podium, he opened up: “This is just a service of notice to anti-democratic forces in our country that never again we will accept impunity and military-based manipulation of our elector process. Today is the first outing of this new organisation, ‘Nigerians United for Democracy.’ Today is a day of love for democracy. By now they should be counting votes but for the postponement of the election.

Constitutional breaches

“But they have merely postponed the election to certain dates but if they dare postpone it again, we are going to fight them,” Falana spat.
The rally got more interesting, from the looks of people and security men on the watch, when the former Chairman of the Campaign for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) entered into the mainstream of his address by first attacking President Goodluck Jonathan for having committed many constitutional breaches including the use of soldier as his Aide-de-Camp (ADC), which he said was against the section 419 of the Police Act stipulating that, ‘The President shall have as his Aide-de-Camp a police officer not below the rank of a Superintendent of Police.’ Not a soldier.”

“So, we are asking the president to comply with the Police Act by having as his Aide-de-Camp a police officer.”

He continued: “In the Second Republic when we had a civilian regime, the President then, Alhaji Shehu Shagari had a police officer as his Aide-de-Camp for four years. Today, all the governors in Nigeria have police officers as their ADCs pursuant to the same Section 419 of the Police Act that I have just quoted. The President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, when he was Vice President, had a police officer as his Aide-de-Camp. We therefore ask our President to comply with the Police Act by withdrawing the soldiers without any further delay.”

Falana then moved to another point he said was vital information for the Nigerian people. He spoke to the minds of the Nigerian youths not to allow themselves to be used by any politician or party as thugs. He added that it was irrational for anybody to make himself a thug to another person whose own children were either in schools abroad or in special schools in Nigeria. “The children of any politician will not be used as thugs. So, why do you want to be used then as thugs?” He asked.

Most crucial about the Falana’s address, which became the most celebrated address on the rally day, was where he gave his words on the Ekiti State election rigging leaked tape. He said, “A serving captain who took part in the criminal manipulation of the Ekiti State governorship election has come out through Sahara Reporters to reveal the details of how they rigged the Ekiti election.

“Now that the authenticity is no longer in doubt, we should make our demands that all those implicated in that illegal conversation must be brought to book! They must all be prosecuted! Another election must take place in Ekiti State!

“Let me tell you why that election was postponed last week. It was because of that revelation that they postponed the election because that was the plan they have for the entire country. So they now want to go back to the drawing table to plan their new strategy. We want you to remain vigilant. We want you to be very watchful. The next two weeks will be very decisive in the history of our country.