Tinubu ‘Said All The Right Things’ In Democracy Day Speech, Says Yiaga Africa

 

The Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, has reacted to President Tinubu’s speech on the 2026 Democracy Day, saying he hit the right tone.

Itodo spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday.

“When you listen to the President, you give it to him; he said all the right things that needed to be said, the kinds of rhetoric that you needed for a president on a day like this. I think the president delivered that to the Nigerian people.

“He gave a historical journey of how he came and the fact that this democracy that we have today came as a result of citizens who refused to stay quiet and who engaged intensely just to reclaim democracy from authoritarians,” the Yiaga chief said.

“He went ahead to deliver national honours to those who struggle for our democracy here, and quite frankly, I’d say the president said all the right things.”

Itodo’s reaction comes in the wake of Tinubu’s speech on Democracy Day, where he asked Nigerians to believe in the country’s future.

“When you look at the democracy and the Democracy Day of this nation, it is not about the rhetoric; it is about the manifestation and the expression of all the president said on the lives of the Nigerian people.

“I must say that data clearly shows that Nigeria and Nigerians believe in democracy, but they are not satisfied with this version of democracy that we practise,” Itodo noted.

He also noted that democracy can only work when the citizens trust the process.

“What is this version of democracy? And you know, if we think about quotable quotes from the president’s speech, I would like to take one: he said, ‘Democracy only works when citizens trust the process.’ That’s what the president said, and let’s take that quote.

“The bigger question is, will Nigerians as of today trust the process? The answer is no because data clearly shows that Nigerians don’t trust the democratic process for a couple of reasons,” he said on the breakfast show.

 

 

READ ALSO: June 12: President Bola Tinubu’s 2026 Democracy Day Speech (FULL TEXT)

Nigerians Don’t Trust The Process

 

The Yiaga Africa executive director said a lack of trust in the election process is why there is voter apathy among Nigerians.

“I hope the president is aware that the majority of Nigerians don’t trust the process. This is why you have low turnout in elections: citizens don’t trust the process because INEC, as an institution, is either captured by operations or has limited access to the resources it needs to function.

“When you look at human rights and think about the way our political parties are, we have just come out of the primary process. How do you expect citizens to trust the process that did not meet the test of transparency and accountability?” he asked.

The post Tinubu ‘Said All The Right Things’ In Democracy Day Speech, Says Yiaga Africa appeared first on Channels Television.