By Abba – Eku Onyekachi
Deputy Senate President, Jibril Barau has enjoined Nigerian politicians to learn from Liberia’s system of politics, by imbibing the spirit of sportsmanship in the arena of democratic contest.
The deputy senate president gave the advice to Nigerian politicians, when he represented Senate President Godswill Akpabio at the opening ceremony of the recently held ECOWAS Parliamentary 2023 Second Ordinary Session in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He said: “The lessons Nigerians should learn from Liberia is that they should always imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship in the arena of democratic contest.
“It shouldn’t be a fight that one won’t cede power, when he looses. When you are going into contest, it should be either you win or loose. When you win, then that is it, but when you loose, that is it.
“But for you to see it as something that must be got at all cost, shouldn’t be encouraged. What happened in Liberia in this their recently conducted election is something that should learned a lesson from by Nigeria and other Ad Rican nations in general.”
He continued: “What happened in Liberia is a testimony and is a demonstration that democracy has come to stay in Liberia. We are proud of people of Liberia. They have done West Africa, Africa and the black race of the world proud.
“It has shown the world that we believe in democracy and we are for democracy, and that there is no need for crisis and rancour is won in any election. So it is an interesting development in Africa.”
He disclosed that they would use the event to discuss and plan how to avert coup d’etat and let the people know its dangers as well enlighten them on the benefits of democracy.
