2019: Ekiti Deputy Speaker, Adewunmi charges Nigerians on stability, democratic advancement

By Owolabi Labode

The Deputy Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Mr Olusegun Adewumi has called on Nigerians to work collectively for political and economic stability of the country,  as well as deepen democracy  to entrench  good governance. 

He opined that the 2019  presidential election slated for February would serve as a litmus test for the political  maturity and dexterity of Nigerians to advance the cause of democracy.

This was contained in a new year message he made available to newsmen on Tuesday through his Media Assistant, Mr Charles Akinola.

He further described  2019 as a deciding year for Nigeria,  adding that it is pertinent for political elite to display  commitment to democratic principles and culture of liberty,   by allowing the people to freely bestow in whomever they desired to govern them. 

The Deputy Speaker also implored  citizenry to  prove that sovereignty rest in them by resisting vote buying and other monetisation of the electoral process that could submerge their will.

Adewunmi  charged leading presidential candidates to take a cue from former President Goodluck Jonathan's rare display of statemanship during the 2015 elections by  conceding defeat before the announcement of final results by Independent National Electoral Commission,  INEC. 

He therefore called on the electoral umpire to live above board and lead the way in the steady growth of strategic institutions in Nigeria and the West Africa subregion.

 Adewumi, who commended the leading countries in the international community for their roles in the recent elections in Ekiti and Osun states also reminded them that "the Presidential and National Assembly elections are crucial as they  signpost Nigeria's role and image in the Africa democratisation process". 

He stressed that the major intervention  of the international community in electoral process  should go beyond  monitoring  but conscious imposition of  a caveat on any attempt of the ruling class to subvert the will of the people. 

The Ekiti Assembly Deputy Speaker however  condemned the carnage in Zamfara State and the spate of criminality pervading other parts of the country, urging governments to take decisive step to protect the lives and property of Nigerians as enshrined in section 14 of the constitution. 

Speaking on the expectations of the people from the new government in the state,  the lawmaker said "it must prove to the people what it can do differently in order to win their trust  rather than continue to hide under the blame of its predecessor".