The Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Ondo State has urged all tiers of government as well as other stakeholders to promote democratic values and good governance.

Mr. Oladele Ogunbameru, the acting Chairman of SDP in Ondo State, made the plea in a statement issued on Friday in Akure to commemorate the 2020 Democracy Day.

Ogunbameru said the day “does not only bring Nigerians together to celebrate the nation’s gains in democratic experience, but it also recognizes and appreciates the sacrifices made by many Nigerians who fought for the enthronement of democracy in the country.”

” We again pay our tributes to the ultimate sacrifice made by the presumed winner of June 12, 1993, Presidential Election, Chief Moshood Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

“For us in the SDP and the country at large, June 12 reminds us of what we have passed through as a people bound by destiny, as well as what we can achieve as a nation if we continue to toe the path of righteousness, selflessness, and unity that June 12 represents.

“The gains we have already made in our democratic experience must not count for nothing.

“All the tiers of our government and all the stakeholders in the Nigeria Project must continue to protect our common interest which is development driven by good governance,” he said.

Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele on his part called for deep reflection on the ill-fated struggles for the actualization of democratic rule in Nigeria through the June 12, 1993, presidential poll.

The lawmaker representing Ekiti Central, in a statement in Ado-Ekiti, described the acclaimed winner of the botched election, Chief MKO Abiola, and other Nigerians who died as the real pillars of the country’s democracy.

“June 12, 1993, was so symbolic in Nigeria’s political history. It represented a day when all Nigerians eschewed ethnic and tribal considerations and voted a candidate of their choice in the most recognizable democratic fashion.

“The fact that the late Abiola of the Social Democratic Party and a Yoruba man of the Southwest extraction could win in Kano, where his chief opponent, Alhaji Bashir Tofa, hailed from, indicated that the poor masses cared less about ethnicity and tribalism.

“After the cancellation of the result by the then military junta, the people across South, West, East, and Northwest, East and Central stood in unity to condemn the action and they all called for the revalidation of the poll results.

“The lesson from this was that our leaders should stop misleading the masses through divisive tribal and ethnic politics.

“An average Nigerian cares less about the tribe, all they seek for is improved standard of living from any leader, wherever he may have come from,” Bamidele said.

In the same vein, the Ekiti House of Assembly has described June 12 as the day to commemorate the restoration of democracy in Nigeria.

The spokesperson of the House, Mrs. Yemisi Ayokunle, said this in a statement issued in Ado-Ekiti on Friday.

Ayokunle, who commended President Muhammadu Buhari for declaring June 12 as Democracy Day, congratulated Nigerians for the entrenchment of democratic rule in the country.

Meanwhile, Mr. Lanre Ogidan, the Coordinator of The Integrity Elite, a non-political group, has advised the government at all levels to embrace good governance to ensure security and development in the country.

Ogidan made the appeal during a courtesy visit to the management of some media houses on Friday in Akure.

According to him, democracy, which is the government of the people, by the people and for the people, is a way of reaching out to the masses through dividends of the system.

He said the group was committed to correcting the wrongs in the society in order to promote development.

Ogidan commended the management and staff of the radio stations visited for their educative, informative and entertaining programs, especially in the area of news reportage.

He expressed the readiness of the group to collaborate with the media in the area to provide necessary information and awareness that would enhance growth.

Mr. Dele Fanimo, Executive Director, Crest FM, who welcomed the group, said the station was established to promote good governance by ensuring that the government remained accountable to the people.

Other radio stations visited were Adaba FM and Ondo State Radiovision Corporation.