Abuja—President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday stated that the use of illegal court orders instituted to truncate the nation’s democracy will no longer be tolerated.
The president made this known during his nationwide address in commemoration of this year’s June 12 Democracy Day celebration.
According to him, the 2023 polls which were intensely contested is in itself positive evidence that democracy is well and alive in the country.
“It is only natural that even as those who won and experienced victory in the various elections are elated and fulfilled, those who lost are disenchanted and disappointed.
“But the beauty of democracy is that those who win today can lose tomorrow and those who lose today will have an opportunity to compete and win in the next round of elections.
“Those who cannot endure and accept the pain of defeat in elections do not deserve the joy of victory when it is their turn to triumph.
“Above all, those who disagree with the outcome of the elections are taking full advantage of the constitutional provisions to seek redress in court and that is one of the reasons why democracy is still the best form of government invented by man.
“For Chief MKO Abiola, the symbol of this day, in whose memory June 12 became a national holiday, democracy is eternal.
“It is about rule of law and vibrant judiciary that can be trusted to deliver justice and strengthen institutions. It has become imperative to state here that the unnecessary illegal orders used to truncate or abridge democracy will no longer be tolerated,” he said.
Tinubu also noted that the recent harmonization of the retirement age for judicial officers is meant to strengthen the rule of law, which is a critical pillar of democracy.
