Former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has applauded the democratic principles and practices under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
Speaking during an appearance on Arise News on Monday night, he called for the return of democratic principles exemplified during Yar’Adua’s era.
Reflecting on his political experience during the late president’s administration, Obi stated, “Yar’Adua ensured there was no problem in the opposition and wanted parties to be stable and function very well.”
According to him, Yar’Adua demonstrated a rare level of political tolerance and respect for the electoral process, even as a sitting president.
“I have been involved in party disputes in the past under former President Yar’Adua. I recall him calling the INEC Chairman then and saying, ‘I don’t want any problem in the opposition party. I want the parties to be stable, functioning very well, we will have free credible, transparent elections. If I lose as a sitting president, I will go home,” Obi stated.
He argued that such leadership helped strengthen Nigeria’s democracy and should serve as a benchmark for current political actors.
“The government should ensure the protection of the opposition, in fact, they should make the opposition stronger,” he added.
Obi, however, expressed concern over what he described as a decline in democratic values, accusing some leaders of abandoning principles they once championed.
“Look at what has happened to democracy; it is now being destroyed by those who yesterday were victims of the same thing,” he said.
He further criticised what he termed a pattern of inconsistency among political leaders.
“People that were shouting to the world, threatening to bring down everything if the right things are not done and now, when they have the opportunity, that’s what is surprising me in Nigeria, how people can show commitment to a cause or promise something and fail dramatically when given the opportunity,” Obi added.