NNPP supports Atiku merger, APC warns of 'cancer of democracy'

[ad_1]

• Buhari chronicles his time in power, admits ‘Nigerians are difficult’
• Youth Party says African elections are dire and urgent intervention needed

Salihu Lukman, former national vice-chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has warned President Bola Tinubu and other chiefs against a culture of manipulating political contests through imposition, warning that unless they reconsider, “2027 Almost all of the APC candidates will be elected.” Elections can be held by imposition. ”

In his contribution titled “The Cancer Destroying Nigeria’s Democracy”, Lukman said: “We, as loyal APC members, must appeal to all APC leaders, especially President Awaju Tinubu, to resist the temptation to overindulge in false beliefs that will destroy Nigeria’s democracy.” may succeed in imposing its choices on Nigerians.

“APC leaders must be humble enough to lower themselves to the level of ordinary Nigerians as much as possible and have more listening ears. Failure to have the humility necessary to meet expectations will strengthen the belief that leaders are engaging in unethical behavior in manipulating political debates. Our Christian Brothers As my sisters say, may this not be our role in APC.”

Lukman explained: “This is almost a return to the old Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) model of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, which demanded 100% loyalty.

With no attempt to reopen old wounds, the demand for 100 per cent loyalty caused grave silence within the APC when Mr. Abdullahi Umaru Ganduje was proposed by President Tinubu as National Chairman.

“After Ganduje’s successful emergence, there was also graveyard silence even as Ganduje continued his practice of freezing the structure of the party. It has been almost four months since Dr. Ganduje took over as APC National Chairman. , no organ meeting has been held.”

According to Lukman, “As was the case with the PDP in 2007, it could grow to the point where almost all APC candidates for the 2027 elections could be produced by imposition. Unless we want to lie to ourselves, as it stands, the culture of manipulating political disputes through imposition, vote buying, rigging, etc. in the APC has reached the point of the PDP in 2007.

“On May 29, 2007, late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, in his inaugural address to the nation, acknowledged that the election that brought him to power was flawed and called for an investigation into the entire election. Recall that we have promised to establish a commission, a process aimed at ensuring the quality and standards of general elections and thereby deepening our democracy.”

He stressed that any proposals for electoral reform in the country must include a stronger regulatory framework for the operation of political parties.

“If INEC is not separated and a political party regulation commission is not established as proposed by the Justice Uwais committee, the system for regulating the behavior of political parties in the country should be strengthened, including by forcing political parties to respect their own rules. It is.

“As long as political parties in Nigeria are allowed to operate in a lawless manner, the problem of manipulating political contests will continue, and the challenge of disentangling the link between technical and politically motivated failures will continue. “This country will continue to elude us as a nation.” ”

Meanwhile, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) yesterday endorsed the claim by the PDP presidential candidate for the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, to merge the opposition parties to replace the APC.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, the Acting National Chairman, Abba Ali, said: “The NNPP views this call by Atiku Abubakar as a patriotic and welcome development and we unreservedly commend him.” said.

Nevertheless, he added that the NNPP is “making modifications to the cooperation that Atiku Abubakar is proposing.” We believe that such arrangements should be comprehensive and broad-based. ”

He said: “Responding to the call of the former Vice President, our party notes that this is the same bold initiative signed by the opposition in 2015 that enabled the merger that led to the defeat of the then ruling PDP. ” he said.

Mr. Ali recalled that Mr. Atiku Abubakar called for the merger of opposition parties as a way to thwart the move of the APC towards a one-party state and protect democracy in the country.

He said: “We are currently studying the mood and political atmosphere of the country. Japan is obliged to respond to any invitation to discuss arrangements for accelerated and sustainable development.

“Despite the sponsored crises and challenges, we are confident that the NNPP will continue to provide the necessary alternative in the political field. We do this without prejudice to working together with all other stakeholders and like-minded people in the interests of the United Nations.”

This came as former President Muhammadu Buhari, who was elected on the APC platform, chronicled his time in power and some of the challenges he faced.

In an interview with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) published on Monday night, when asked whether he agreed that a cabal had taken over the government or whether it was just a figment of his imagination, Buhari said: “That must have been the case.” “No,” he said, adding that was not the case. Certainly anyone was allowed to ignore the rules and “walk away.”

The former president said he was allowing people to do their jobs when assigning tasks, stressing that he would not do anything differently under Nigeria’s current system if given the same opportunity. .

Buhari explained that he had tried to be as accountable as possible during his administration, although he appeared to go off topic several times during the session.

“Nigerians are very difficult. People know their rights. They think they should be there, not you. So they monitor virtually every step. And you have to work day and night to make sure you are good enough,” he said.

The former president also said that as president he was too preoccupied with domestic issues to care about foreign issues. He said his biggest challenge is to ensure the country’s security.

He said he did not try to compete with wealthy Nigerians by acquiring land, houses and cars during his leadership, which is why he is “living peacefully” after leaving power. .

He said that some Nigerians tried to ambush him on certain occasions and set traps, but once Nigerians realized they were in danger, they used the situation to take advantage of the situation to leave the country. He said he avoided the trap because he knew it would be exploited.

On the controversial naira redesign policy, Buhari said: “Whether Nigerians believe it or not, we are a backward country. And in such a situation, there is materialism. And sometimes, ruthlessly, they ask how they made their money. I didn’t care.

“…I still feel that the only way I can take away rights from these people is to make sure that my integrity is beyond question…As a developing country, we I think we still have a long way to go. The motivation[for the policy]was to make Nigerians believe that there are no shortcuts to successful leadership.”

He said he was not shocked that the policy was taken to court by governors from his own party at the time.

Speaking about the Ethiopian/Nigerian Airways fiasco at the end of his administration, Buhari said that if he had a fault, it was that he was giving free jobs to his people.

In this regard, the National Publicity Secretary of the Youth Party, Ayodele Adio, said it was not a cause for celebration for an incumbent to celebrate the winner of a free and fair election, adding: In recent years, it has fallen into a dictatorship. ”

In an interview with the Guardian, Adio said that Liberia’s elections have just concluded, with incumbent president George Weah admitting defeat, congratulating the winner, Joseph Boakai, and urging his supporters to accept the results. reacted about.

Mr. Adio noted that Mr. Weah had not only conceded defeat, but had inadvertently given democracy a well-timed boost, reinforcing the idea that people have the power to change their leaders by voting.

“This means that despite democracy’s flaws, democracy can flourish in West Africa, even if we define success only as the transfer of power from one democratically elected president to another,” he said. It’s also a shining example of what can be done.”

“More important is the fact that Africa no longer needs strong men, but strong institutions. And the only way to build strong and lasting institutions is to It is guided by process and strict adherence to the rule of law.”

[ad_2]

Source: guardian.ng

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *