NATIONAL: Strong institutions vital to sustain democracy — Atiku

FORMER Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, has said a democracy worth its salt must be undergirded by strong institutions.

Atiku said stressed that.strong personalities are not not needed to sustain a democracy.

He said this while reacting to the certification of the electoral victory of United States President-elect Joe Biden by the US Congress despite resistance by loyalists and henchmen of incumbent President Donald Trump who invaded Capitol in Washington on Wednesday during a joint session of Congress held to certify Biden’s win.

The ugly development notwithstanding, congress leaders still reconvened, hours after the incident and despite political affiliations to affirm Biden’s Electoral College victory over Trump.

Vice-President Mike Pence presided over the sitting and announced the certification despite pressure from Trump asking him to do otherwise.

Pence said, “The announcement of the state of the vote by the President of the Senate shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons elected President and Vice President of the United States, each for the term beginning on the 20th day of January 2021 and shall be entered together with the list of the votes on the journals of the Senate and the House of Representatives.”

Reacting, Atiku tweeted, “Democracy, as it is often said, is a process. With the culmination of the process certifying the electoral vote of @JoeBiden as the next President of the United States, it is clear that strong institutions are vital to the sustainability of democracy.

“This is a lesson to be learnt: that strong institutions and not strong personalities are the bulwark of a rich democratic culture.”

The Capitol violence, hours after an extraordinary rally by Trump challenging his defeat, saw flag-waving backers break down barricades outside the Capitol and swarm inside, sending the legislative sessions into an emergency recess.

Extraordinary images showed security personnel barricading the chamber while lawmakers huddled inside wearing gas masks.