President Bola Tinubu has described himself as a “die-hard democrat,” urging Nigerian politicians across party lines to uphold democratic principles and respect the rule of law, regardless of personal or political interests.
Speaking at an interfaith breakfast for All Progressives Congress (APC) executives, National Working Committee members, and the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) at the State House, Tinubu highlighted his decades-long commitment to democracy, recalling periods of detention, exile, and his role in co-founding the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO).
“We are all democrats and we have committed to this democracy voluntarily and selflessly for the past 26 years. Some of us have the bruises from it—we went to detention, we protested, we went into exile. We formed NADECO. We got here,” he said.
Framing his commitment as a lifelong philosophy tied to national unity, Tinubu added, “I’m a die-hard democrat, and I follow that belief wholeheartedly, committedly, to a united Nigeria. That principle and philosophy will live and die with me.”
Addressing IPAC National Chairman Yusuf Dantalle, he emphasized that party affiliation is voluntary: “Be persecuted for it. No threat from any democrat,” he stated.
The remarks come amid opposition backlash over the February 18 signing of the amended Electoral Act. Critics cited concerns over optional electronic result transmission, digital membership register rules, the abolition of delegate voting in favor of direct or consensus primaries, a 21-day pre-primary submission deadline, and limits on court intervention in electoral processes.
Tinubu defended the rule of law as democracy’s core, saying, “Majority will have their say and their way, and minority will have their say and might not have their way. That is the essence of democracy.” He called for intellectual debate over confrontation: “Argue it, debate it intellectually, interrogate each other honestly, but we are committed to peace and stability.”
On the Electoral Act, he added, “I signed the law because the National Assembly passed it overwhelmingly. I have no reservation. I submitted myself to the principle of rule of law and democracy. The rest is history. We’ll meet at the polls.”
Recalling his own opposition experience, he emphasized restraint, except against military rule, adding, “I’m a registered voter. I stick to my platform whether I’m winning or not.”
Earlier, Dantalle described Tinubu as a “listening father and inclusive president” while highlighting flaws in the Act. He urged adjustments to the 21-day membership register deadline, reinstatement of indirect primaries for smaller parties, and support for party administration.
Tinubu concluded on a conciliatory note: “The game is sweet only when you are winning. We must accommodate one another, strengthen the platform, and ensure peace, stability, and adherence to the rule of law.”
