The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has said the record-setting
mediocre performance of the Jonathan Administration and its policy inconsistencies, more than anything else, are fuelling
the ongoing debate on whether or not the President
will seek re-election in 2015.
Reacting to a presidency statement over the ”growing furore in
political circles and the media” over the President’s alleged
ambition for 2015, the party said in a statement issued in Lagos on
Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji
Lai Mohammed, that a government that fails to perform has created a
conducive atmosphere for rumours that will inevitably
overheat the polity.
”Mr. President, we in the ACN are not bothered about whether or not
you plan to run in 2015. What concerns us now is how to
alleviate the collective suffering of the Nigerian people, who have
experienced more pain than gain in one year of your administration, and have yet to reap the fruits of democracy almost 15
years of the country’s return to constitutional order under
your party’s watch.
”If we must be frank, this past one year has been like four for
Nigerians who have been subjected to untold hardship and the
effects of a catalogue of bad and inconsistent policies. As governance
takes the back seat and meaningless politicking becomes
the order of the day, many wish the four years of your administration
will just pass by fast to give them the opportunity to make a
better choice of leadership. This is what is driving the 2015 debate,” it said.
ACN reminded the President that his administration started off on a
wobbly note, when it flew a satanic kite on tenure elongation
that backfired and quickly eroded what many called the goodwill that
ushered him into Aso Rock.
”This was followed by the ill-advised fuel subsidy removal that has
now turned into a fiasco; the poorly-managed aftermath in which
peaceful protesters were crushed by gun-totting soldiers, even in a
democracy; the unprecedented corruption revealed by the fuel subsidy
probe, and an equally-horrendous looting of the public treasury in all
sectors.
”Add this to what is arguably an all-time low supply of electricity
that has thrown vast swath of the nation’s landscape into darkness,
the rising unemployment, worsening state of infrastructure and
monumental insecurity of lives and property, and you have a ready mix
of ingredients that will easily overheat a polity,” the party said.
It said the situation has been compounded by the discordant tunes from
those who are close to the President.
”While some said he will surely run in 2015, others said he has not
yet made up his mind. This is reminiscent of the situation in other
spheres Top government officials attribute the Boko Haram crisis to
different causes, and conflicting signals are being sent out now on
whether those
indicted in the fuel subsidy probe will be prosecuted or not. These
are the causes of the growing disillusionment in the polity,” ACN
said.
The party advised the President to shun the palace jesters
masquerading as his advisers, gird his loins afresh and restore hope
to his
compatriots, saying three years is a long enough time to make a
difference, even if the first year has all but been frittered away.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)
Lagos, May 6th 2012
