The Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, has stressed the need to uphold constitutionalism and the rule of law to speed up the growth of the nation’s democracy.
Ekweremadu who stated this in his Democracy Day message to Nigerians, issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Uche Anichukwu, said that the difference between democracy and undemocratic forms of government was the guarantee of human rights and rule of law.
“As we celebrate the 18th anniversary of the return of democracy, we must remind ourselves that the greatest blessings of democracy are not just good roads, hospitals, electricity, and other socio-economic infrastructure, which are however grossly inadequate.
“Any government is capable of providing one, and even several dictatorships around the world have indeed provided better ones.
“The greatest blessings of democracy are constitutionalism, rule of law, respect for human rights, courts, separation of powers, and the ballot box.
“Unless we apply the brake and uphold the rule of law and democratic conventions and practices in all ramifications, our greatest losses, moving forward, will not be economic recession, lack of critical infrastructure, among others.
“Our greatest loss would be an irredeemably deteriorated civilian rule where decisions of courts, letters and spirit of law, resolutions of the legislature, electoral choices of Nigerians as expressed through the ballot no longer count,’’ he said.
Ekweremadu, however, urged Nigerians to keep faith alive in the nation’s democracy as there was no alternative to democratic rule.
He advised Nigerians to rather apply every lawful and legitimate means to demand for, and defend their rights and the rule of law for their own benefit and for posterity sake.
