The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has called on all the anti-graft agencies in the country to partner in order to reduce corruption to the barest minimum in the Nigerian polity.
Reacting to the news of the investigation of four governors over alleged misappropriation of public funds and abuse of office by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, the Executive Chairman of the Coalition, Debo Adeniran noted that all Nigerian anti-graft agencies must partner and compare notes to rid the country of endemic corruption.
“All the anti-graft agencies in the country have been rendered toothless with less action to back up their talks. There is lack of political will on both sides of the government and the anti-graft agencies to bring corruption perpetrators to book. The anti-graft agencies are just paying lip service to combating graft whereas the corruptionists are stealing our common patrimony unperturbed. Imagine the agency claiming they are investigating just four governors and cannot even name those governors because a prima facie case has not been established against them! What of the investigations carried out by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on some governors and some have even been arraigned with the cases pending in court? There is need for all these anti-graft agencies to partner and compare notes instead of duplicating effort in order to take the war against corruption to a higher level.
What Nigerians need is action; seeing the leaders that have rendered them impoverished behind the bars, their assets impounded and used for the betterment of the common man: this is the utmost desire of the Nigerian masses. Enough of many talks, the masses want to see the anti-graft agencies at work! The cabals in the oil sector should be brought to book; the people who are perpetrating corruption in the oil sector must be made to face the wrath of the law! The cabals in the power sector who are making life unbearable for the mass of the people must be exposed! They must be named and shamed to serve as deterrent to others that are into the same act,” Adeniran said.
The Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala has said that a key aspect to the post-2015 of the MDGs is to complete the unfinished business, the Minister made the assertion, while addressing the participants in at the post 2015 MDGs consultative forum in Abuja.
Dr. Okonjo Iweala noted that a key aspect to the Post-2015 Agenda should be to complete the “unfinished business” started under the MDGs framework as poverty eradication should remain in focus, whilst recognising the new global challenges a decade and a half on from the inception of this original framework.
In this vein, she said the augmentation to the current development in Post 2015 would “ensure an increased focus on enablers of economic development, also update current targets such that they are relevant to a Post-2015 world”.
Citing example of the targets set on education for example, the Minister of Finance noted that while primary education enrolment rates have been the headline indicator under MDGs, targeting improvements in secondary and tertiary education whilst incorporating practical and vocational skills will be more important under the post 2015 Agenda.
Also, to tackle the challenge of employment in the continent, Dr. Okonjo Iweala suggested that there is need to focus on increasing investment in infrastructure, particularly within energy and transportation therefore, the post 2015 framework should include indicators such as electricity power consumption per capita density of road network, and percentage of population with access to electricity, improved water resources and roads.
“This National Consultation presents an opportunity to comprehend impediments at differing levels of society and for different groupings within Nigeria. It is an essential exercise in what is a crucial process”, the Finance Minister added.
Also in her speech, while welcoming participants to the event, Dr. Precious Kalamba Gbeneol, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Millennium Development Goals said the forum underlines the shared comprehension of the importance of ensuring that the planning process for a Post-2015 Development Agenda needs an inclusive and participatory foundation. This was even as she assured that Nigeria’s contribution will be taken into consideration in the formulation of post 2015 development agenda.
Gbeneol said the conveyance of yesterday’s event was particularly important because while the “MDGs framework has been lauded for focusing development attention on key aspects such as poverty, health and education indicators, it has been criticised for the lack of inclusion in their formulation. As such, efforts are focused on ensuring this is not the case during the Post-2015 consideration”.
Dr. Gbeneol noted that while it was agreed that poverty eradication and other unfinished business of the MDGs should remain the overarching framework for any Post-2015 Agenda at an Expert Group Meeting and the first National Consultation on the Post-2015 Agenda held in May and June, 2012 respectively, participants at both events also emphasized the need to include stakeholders from sub-national levels in the consultative process whilst engaging with themes that reflect the development aspirations of these key players.
“In line with these recommendations, my Office, in collaboration with the United Nations Country Team and the National Working Group on Post-2015 Planning, embarked on an exercise to involve subnational structures in this important process”, said Gbeneol while adding that “We are now gathered in an historic event at this Sub-national and Thematic Consultation on the Post 2015 Agenda to determine the future we want”.
The SSAP-MDGs listed another initiative of his office to broaden participation in the process of formulation of post 2015 development agenda to include MY World Survey being carried out in collaboration with the United Nations Millennium Campaign and the National Youth Service Corp.
According to her, The MY World Survey which seeks to discover the ordering of developmental priorities of a country’s population will sample opinions of 77,400 Nigerians and the results will be ready next month to feed into the work of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and the meeting of the High Level Panel in Bali, Indonesia.
While urging participants to fully participate in the deliberations, she assured them that the outcomes of their deliberations will count as Nigeria is well represented in the High Level Panel of Eminent Persons on Post-2015 Planning with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Honourable Minister of Finance and her predecessor, the Hajia Amina Mohammed who is now Assistant Secretary General and Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General on Post-2015 Planning as members of this Panel. Dr. Gbeneol also informed participants that her office has adopted a number of acceleration solutions for the achievements of MDGs in the country.
The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has berated the Presidency over the revelation of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan’s illness.
The First Lady has revealed, during a thanksgiving at the Presidential Villa last Sunday, that she was dead for a week and the doctors attending to her had lost hope but she was brought back to life miraculously.
Deriding the Presidency for putting up so many lies during the First Lady’s absence, the Executive Chairman of CACOL, Debo Adeniran noted that the revelation has reinforced that the President is a serial liar.
“Every Nigerian has known President Jonathan as a serial liar so we are not surprised the First Lady made that revelation. Despite the spurious claims by the President’s and his wife’s media aides that Patience was resting abroad after the rigour of the 2011 elections, hosting the African Ladies Summit and other balderdash, the truth has come to the bare. It is very unfortunate that the people in this present government lack integrity and credibility. They run government like family business; No transparency! No accountability to the mass of the people!
What is the secret in someone getting ill? Is it an offence that the First Lady took ill? Ok! They were hiding behind one finger and now their shadow has caught up with them. Maybe they were ashamed to tell the Nigerian masses that they used our common patrimony to fly Mrs Jonathan abroad whereas many patient diagnosed of the same illness are dying in the slaughter slabs they call hospitals in Nigeria?
It is high time our political class called a solemn assembly to address the endemic corruption that is bedevilling this country. This is a country where more than 70 per cent are living on less than $1 per day and our leaders spent billions of naira on medical expenses abroad yearly. The government should think of how to provide good hospitals and equip the present ones for the Nigerian masses who cannot afford the luxury of going to Germany or India for medical treatment”, Adeniran noted.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State has hailed the success of the Good Governance Tour of the state, saying that the kudos received by the Rivers State Government from the Federal Government only re-affirms the AA+ rating already being enjoyed by the state. The ruling party commended the Federal Government for initiating the tour which it noted would engender positive competition among states’ governors. It said Governor Chibuike Amaechi and his team of lieutenants have proved cynics wrong by the caliber of infrastructure development the team led by Nigeria’s Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr. Labaran Maku saw in Rivers State.
The PDP, while reacting to the outcome of the tour through its State Publicity Secretary, Mr. George Ukwuoma-Nwogba, said the tour could not have come at a better time. “At no time was the visit most appropriate than now that Rivers State has become a huge industrial site.”
Describing the tour as one-stop show of the administration’s priorities and prudence in the management of state resources and funds by the Amaechi administration, the PDP debunked insinuations in certain quarters that the toured projects were undertaken by past administrations, describing those behind the story as “insatiable and disgruntled politicians seeking cheap popularity.”
“We commend Governor Chibuike Amaechi for the Greater Port Harcourt City and its appurtenances which no doubt, upon completion, will make it one of the most modern cities in the world. We commend him for the hi-tech Rivers State Fish Farm in Asari Toru local government area reputed to be the first of its kind in West Africa; the state-of-the-art Kelsey Harrison Hospital; the Maxillo Facial Hospital with the most modern medical facilities; the model secondary schools ranked in infrastructure as university campuses. We are proud of the Governor who did the state proud through the numerous and hi-tech engineering projects his administration has embarked on, including the 38,000-capacity Adokie Amiesimaka Sports Complex which Mr. Labaran Maku, described as “a national asset.”
The statement continued: “Though we can’t yet shout “Eureka!”, we know that the State is headed in the right direction.”
Mr. Ukwuoma-Nwogba commended the people of the State for their support and massive turn-out at the stakeholders’ meeting saying it shows their huge support for the administration of Governor Amaechi. While urging them to keep the spirit, the Rivers State PDP Publicity Secretary pledged the commitment of the administration to the rapid transformation of Rivers State.
The Abia executive committee of the Contacts and Mobilization Unit of Foundation for the Advancement of Ethnics and Values (FAEV) has been inaugurated with a promise to mobilize the people of the state for the transformation agenda of the Jonathan administration.
The group is partnering with the office of the Special Adviser to the president on Ethics and Values (OSAPEV) to mobilize individuals and organizations to cue into this administration’s programmes.
Speaking to newsmen, the state Co-ordinator, Pastor Charles Ezeji said as volunteers, collaborating with FAEV which is also partnering with OSAPEV, they would put in their best to inculcate, sanitize and promote high levels of standard, integrity and goodwill in line with the transformation agenda of the Jonathan administration.
He said it was for this reason that men and women of proven integrity were chosen to run the affairs of the group in the state and promised they would not fail.
Deputy Co-ordinator, Dr. Charles Chenekezi said it was as a result of the Federal Government’s desire to change the mind set of her citizenry towards some of its laudable programmes that the organization was formed.
He, on behalf of other members promised to work with zeal to justify the confidence reposed in them.
Other members of the state executive committee include Pastor Hycent Abel, secretary; Samuel Obidike, treasurer; Ernest Okorogu, financial secretary; Anthony Okeke, publicity secretary; Ike Martins Adighibe, organizing secretary; Mrs. Chilaka, woman leader and Ndubuisi Erengwa, youth leader.
Abia state governor, Chief Theodore Orji has approved the contract for the construction of a modern library building headquarters at Ogurube layout also known as the Umuahia layout, Umuahia.
. In a statement by the chief press secretary, Ugochukwu Emezue, this latest development is a clear testimony of chief TA Orji’s desire to bequeath monumental legacies to the citizens of the state especially generation yet unborn.
. According to Mr. Emezue the project which will be supervised by the ministry of housing when completed will become a strong platform for the reading public, especially Abia students to enrich their intellectual capacity in a serene environment.
. Meanwhile, Arochukwu and Okeikpe general hospitals have been approved for upgrading. Also selected for renovation by the state government are some wards at the general hospital, Aba. Mr.Emezue said that this development is in line with Governor Orji’s commitment towards the transformation of the health sector in the state.
. The governor’s spokesman maintained that Chief TA Orji is also eager to build more health centres across the state beside the existing 250 centres.
Long ago, in my village church, an elderly woman was asked to pray. In her prayer, she strayed from the liturgical platitudes that mark such church prayers, and delved into politics. Obviously enraged by the then recent coup that overthrew the government of Shehu Shagari, she said that the military, in their arrogance are behaving as they like and riding roughshod over Nigerians because the civilians have no guns and bullets to fight back. But that they should remember that when the wrath of God comes, no one can dodge God’s own bullets.
Just as she lamented the military behaving as they like and treating Nigerians with contempt, many Nigerians, presently, are lamenting that our elected officials, including most governors, are overbearing, behaving as they like without any consideration for the Nigerian masses. They are saddened that at the economic strangulation of the Nigerian masses, these governors steal public funds and maintain extravagant lifestyles – that will flabbergast even, the presidents and royalties of the wealthiest countries in the world. They are acutely conscious that the governors’ arrogance of power, grasping avarice, debauched profligacy and crass disdain for the common man contribute immensely to the social injustice, gross inequity, abject poverty and unmitigated suffering that pervade this country. Quite naturally, many Nigerians resent their governors. Why then would a governor believe that Nigerians are enamored of him and the other governors, and will be praying to God to keep them alive so that they will continue to lead the people? It must be delusion, delusion of power.
Governor Rotimi Amechi, the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum urged Nigerians to “pray that God will do something new in our lives and keep the governors alive (to continue) to lead the people…” Evidently, he is totally detached from the mood and sentiments of the generality of Nigerians, and therefore, cannot realize that most Nigerians are sick and tired of their governors. In addition, Nigerian governors are not leaders; they are dangerous leaders.
Leaders seek power with a sense of mission. They desire power out of moral conviction, commitment to a cause and an unwavering resolve to better the lot of their people. As such, power can be subordinated to the public will and made accountable to the people; and thus, employed as a selfless servant of the people. Dangerous leaders seek power for selfish reasons: fame, pomp, self-enrichment and the entrenchment of the privileges and pretensions of the political class. And as such, power degenerates into an overbearing instrument of self-absorbed power elite; and is invariably, deployed as a ruthless enemy of the people.
Power deployed as the enemy of the people steals from the people, undermines the public good, subverts a principled distribution of the national wealth, panders to the greed and selfish ambitions of an elite few and relegates the generality of the citizenry to poverty and misery.
Wielding their powers at the detriment of the Nigerian masses, they perfected the art of stealing from the people. Through variegated avenues, like the security vote, they divert public funds into their personal accounts. The object of the security vote is murky. After all, the federal government (through the police and other security organizations) is, primarily, responsible for security. The constitution does not empower the states to have their own police force. And the state governments’ quasi law enforcement agencies are paid from the state coffers, not the governor’s security vote. However, the security vote is money voted for the governor’s use by the state assembly which, constitutionally, he is not obligated to account for.
Through the security vote, billions of naira is handed over to the governors every month. Ikedi Ohakim, as the governor of Imo State, received 26 billion naira in four tears as security vote. In 2011, the governors of Rivers, Kaduna and Ondo States received N7.5bn, N8bn and N6bn respectively as security votes. Governor Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State succinctly made the point when he said that security vote is “another way of stealing public funds”.
In their conspicuous consumption and wasteful spending, Nigerian governors now have a new fad. Their new fad is private jets. Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom and Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State amongst other governors owe private jets. Godswill Akpabio, in June 2011, bought a $45 million (7.2 billion naira) jet. The cost of Rotimi Amaechi’s private jet is $45.7m (N7.31 billion naira).
Apart from gratifying his insatiable greed and indulging his outrageous fantasies, a state governor does not need a private jet – an almost redundant but inconceivably expensive gadget. A state has no foreign policy. Therefore the job of a governor does not demand foreign travel. With the abject poverty, crumbling social infrastructure, high unemployment, social deprivation, environmental squalor, etc that are the hallmarks of our beloved country, it boggles the mind to think of the opportunity cost of a governor’s purchase of a private jet. The money could have been put to more constructive use in: education, health, job creation, housing and other areas where it benefits the people directly.
The purchase of private jets by Nigerian governors is nauseating absurdity. Its preposterousness becomes more evident when it is considered that neither the prime minister nor the King of Norway owns a private jet; they travel on commercial airlines. Not even the British Prime Minister owns a private jet. He flies British Airways. The income per capita in Norway is about $72,000.00. In Nigeria, it is only about $2,700.00.
Under the auspices of the Nigerian Governors Forum, the governors constitute a formidable cabal that can effectively challenge the presidency and the federal government. They usurp powers not ascribed to their office by the constitution. They impede the functions of the local governments and in some cases, seize and misappropriate funds allocated to them by the federal government. Cringing at the overbearing presence of the governors, state assemblies are reduced to rubber stamp parliaments. And federal legislators knuckle under their state governors, taking permission from them before taking a stance on national issues. The powers of these governors in their home states are further reinforced by the spinelessness and gutlessness of the average Nigerian citizen who cannot raise a voice in dissent and/or protest.
Essentially, their powers are untrammeled, bordering on the absolute. And just as “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts, absolutely”, power also deludes and absolute power deludes absolutely.
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has said the agreements and decisions taken at the recent D-8 Summit in Pakistan would help to strengthen existing relations among members of the group.
President Jonathan was speaking to the new Pakistani High Commissioner to Nigeria, Lt. General Mohamad Ashraf Saleem, one of the three new ambassadors who presented letters of credence, at State House, Tuesday.
‘I am glad that you are coming soon after the D-8 Summit, because we plan to take advantage of the decisions of the group to strengthen our relations’, he stated.
President Jonathan said Nigeria wanted to leverage on the long history of bilateral and multilateral cooperation with Pakistan to improve agriculture, create more jobs, and increase food supply.
The new High Commissioner, Lt. Gen. Moahamad Ashraf Saleem, said he looked forward to working with the President to improve relations between the two nations.
During a separate audience with Mr. David Jonathan Richardson of Australia, President Jonathan said he looked forward to more cooperation and investment from Australia, especially in the solid minerals sector.
He also expressed appreciation for Australia’s pledge of $50m to support Nigeria’s polio eradication programme, and restated the Administration’s commitment to eradicate polio from Nigeria by 2015.
Also speaking to Mr. Joao Andre Pinto Dias Lima of Brazil, President Jonathan said the forthcoming visit of the Brazilian President to Abuja will enable even closer relations between Nigeria and Brazil.
The new Ambassadors pledged to do their best to strengthen relations with Nigeria during their tenures in Nigeria.
The winner of the January 2011 of the People’s Democratic Party PDP primary election in Kogi state, Jibrin Isah Echocho has approached the Supreme Court to challenge the decision of the Court of Appeal which dismissed the suit he brought to challenge the judgement of the federal high court which upheld the victory of Captain Idris Wada at the governorship election.
Echocho had in the first place dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC before a Federal High Court to challenge the conduct of governorship election in Kogi during the pendency of a suit before the apex court.
Captain Idris Wada later joined as a respondent in the suit.
Justice Abdul Kafarati after hearing the suit dismissed Echocho’s suit on ground that it was a post election matter and same should have been directed to the state governorship election.
Not satisfied, Echocho had approached the Court of Appeal praying it to set aside the judgement of the lower court.
Delivering a unanimous judgement at the appellate court, Justice Akomolafe Wilson held that the lower court did not have jurisdiction to entertain the matter in the first place and hence the court was right when it declined jurisdiction.
The Court of Appeal however declined jurisdiction to consider the appeal and therefore dismissed the appeal and upheld the earlier judgement of the lower court.
Still not satisfied, Echocho is now at the apex court to challenge the decision of the two lower courts.
In an appeal filed by his counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, submitted that the Court of Appeal erred in law, when, while concluding that the trial Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to adjudicate on the appellant’s case adding that the crux of the matter was the Supreme Court decision in SC 357/2011 delivered on January 27, 2012 vis a vis the mandatory provisions of Sections 178(2), 180(2)&(2a) and 287(1) of the Constitution.
He also submitted that the Court of Appeal erred in law and came to a perverse decision when it held that the core or central issue is the question of jurisdiction of the court below to entertain the appellant’s action adding that the matter before the lower court boils down to the validity of the governorship election held by INEC in Kogi state on December 3, 2011 during the pendency of an appeal at the Supreme Court. Adding that the Supreme Court did not in it’s judgement in SC 357/2011 direct fresh elections to be held “in four out of the five states where the 1st Respondent (INEC) sustained an earlier election held on 3rd Dec.,2011”,contrary to the conclusion of the Appeal court.
Olanipekun also submitted that the Court of Appeal erred in law and also came to a wrong decision in its conclusion and judgement that the appellant’s case was a matter suited for an election tribunal and not the Federal High Court.
Another ground on which Echocho hinged his appeal was that the lower court erred in law and came to a wrong decision when it held that the appellant’s claim falls within the exclusive jurisdiction of the election tribunal and not the Federal High Court.
Also, the appellant is challenging the judgement of the lower court on grounds that the court misdirected itself in law and came to a wrong conclusion when it held that, to determine the first two issues raised by the appellant in his originating summons would only be tantamount to an academic or moot exercise, since the answers to those questions would not not confer any right of the Appellant. This the Appellant says,is perverse because,the first two issues in question raised serious constitutional questions and specifically called for the application of certain provisions of the constitution. And that,it is the law that,in matters that call for the application of the constitution,the courts have no discretion,
The appellant also claimed that the lower court misdirected itself in law and breached his rights to fair hearing by simply striking out his appeal on the ground that the trial court lacked jurisdiction without considering his case and making pronouncement on its merit in the alternative.
There is a need to provide a credible alternative to the electorate, a radical change borne out of the growing discontent of Nigerians with the failure of the PDP led government that has held power at the centre since 1999, to transform the countries’ fortune despite multi-billion dollar oil revenue frittered by successive government – $67billion in foreign reserves in the last few years – deflating any hope of a breath of Jonathan’s ‘fresh air,” for these, the leaders of the coalition, saw an exigency in salvaging the beleaguered Nigerian people from the present socio-political and economic downturn as an impetus for the merger.
And so much was the euphoria that greeted the announcement of the All Peoples Congress (APC), that it sent jitters across the political divide. The coalition of ACN, CPC, ANPP and APGA to form the new alliance is an audacious bid to unseat the ruling party in the 2015 general elections. Two recent events gave fillip to the merger. First, was the meeting of 10 governors from opposition parties to endorse the coalition. Secondly, the formation of contact and mobilization committee to expedite alliance talks. Both moves couple with a new name, has helped to silence the sceptics who described the merger as a political jamboree that will soon go the way of the previous attempt to form an opposition party in 2011.
The political landscape has been dogged by the absence of credible and formidable opposition. The new party on the block, has a lot to prove to Nigerians; do they have something different from what the PDP has to offer? Can they prove that they are not the same with the PDP? From their respective states, senatorial districts and other areas they represent, can they genuinely say that they have fared better than the party they oppose? These and more will determine if they will be taken seriously by Nigerians and how far they will go.
The political will demonstrated by the ACN and CPC so far must now be translated to persuasion with renewed optimism and enthusiasm to convince the indifferent factions to be part of the merger. The leaders of the parties in the coalition must be ready to further shift ground in the sacrifice of personal and regional ambition for the merger to come to fruition. The APC must rise above the debate on issues such as the logo, which many observers believe is trivial. Technical and ideological differences like the constitution and manifesto must be given priority as this is the basis for which the opposition party will be weighed with the PDP. There is no merger where the dissolving bodies remain adamant on their ideologies. A sound ideology will surely boost the APC’s acceptance and penetration. It can learn from the PDP’s lack of internal democracy that has led to incessant wrangling and animosity among its members.
The jostling for the allocation of offices among various political parties in the alliance will be the litmus test of how the APC will deal with the selection process for the candidates before the general elections. It will be interesting to see how the parties will shift ground to concede ideological differences in the larger interest of the new party.
The merger between the ACN and CPC alone might just be enough to see out the PDP, as a school of thought will have us believe. No, it is a political miscalculation. The PDP has gained cult followership over the last 14 years in most rural areas where they have a preponderance of votes cast. A cursory look at the outcome of election since 1999, indicate, the incumbent seldom lose election. The odds are always against the opposition. The PDP had boasted sometime ago, that the merger of all the opposition parties will not be enough to upstage them. No surprise. Over the years the ruling party has enriched a lot of Nigerians who can spread a few billions around the country to win votes from an electorate, a greater proportion, living below the poverty line.
The merger must be consummated in time to allow the APC put proper structure across the geo-political zones to consolidate what the parties already have on ground. Immediate mobilisation and sensitisation of the electorate, down to the grassroots, on the manifesto of the new party must commence.
In the North, the CPC and ANPP has got four states governors, the ACN is well grounded in the South-West, capturing five out of the six states, they can also count on votes from Edo state in the South-South. A faction of APGA led by Imo state governor, and a good structure in other states of the South-East. It is still a far cry from the 23 states the PDP control across the country, but with the merger, the APC can consolidate by retaining those states and hopefully win a few more. The consummation of all four political parties as part of the merger, will give it a national spread and outlook.
The APC must guard against surreptitious tactics by the PDP to stymie the new party using the factions of ANPP and APGA not part of the merger. Effort must be made to woo these disaffected factions who are indifferent to the coalition. The APC must beware of smear campaigns against the drivers of the opposition alliance. With the storm always rocking the PDP boat, the APC should prevent aggrieved members of the PDP from cross-carpeting to the APC, as the aftermath could be grave.
The applecart in waiting for the APC will be the jostle for the nomination for their presidential aspirant and other candidates seeking ticket for various political offices. One that is most likely to generate controversy is the Presidential ticket. General Muhammadu Buhari has in recent time expressed his interest in contesting the 2015 election. His antecedents does not make him popular in the South but his followership in the north puts him in strong position. There is the agitation from the South-East for an Ndigbo presidential aspirant in 2015, the APGA faction will definitely want a look in that direction, even if they have to settle for a VP slot. The South-West have been in and around the corridors of power, Bola Tinubu, still very much in contention. Most Nigerians want a clean break from the old brigade like the PDP has done; preference for younger breed of outstanding politicians from the APC, the likes of Babatunde Fashola, Nasir Elrufai, Nuhu Ribadu, Oby Ezekwesili and a few others have been muted. It will be interesting to see how things play out in the upcoming months.
There is ample time for the alliance to put its house in order and mobilize well ahead of the general elections, sensitising Nigerians across the nook and cranny that they are a credible alternative to the PDP government. Incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan’s lacklustre performance in office will give the opposition a real chance at the polls if they put their acts together. Gauging the pulse of Nigerians, many are discontent with his leadership. Whoever the APC presents as presidential aspirants, might be given serious consideration at the polls by the electorate.
The APC should look beyond unseating the PDP at the centre. Changing the prevalent socio-political ideology, creating an alternative for development, restructuring and deepening of our political culture should be part of the underpinning ideas driving the new mega party. The government of the day will respond better to criticism from a formidable opposition, thus, raising the bar of leadership and governance that has made the country totter, for many years, on the thread line of disaster. Beyond reasonable doubt, the APC must prove to Nigerians that “when they come on board” it won’t be time for them to have their own share of the “national cake.”
Some cynics have expressed caution in the euphoria that welcomed the announcement of the APC as they reason it is a merger of strange bedfellows with a DNA of the PDP. They say the merger will fail, just as the previous attempt to form an opposition alliance in 2011. Even if it fails, at least they had the courage to try. There is no political party made of saints anywhere, we all have a past that we are not proud of. The leaders of the opposition forming the alliance – if for nothing – laying their personal ambition on the alter of opposition merger should be commended. Rather than playing second fiddle to the political party that vaunts itself as the largest in Africa, they have put individual aspirations aside in the hope of a new vista for Nigeria. For those who have chosen to remain armchair critics and spectocrats waiting for saints and perfectionist to form a political party, they need not wait much longer; the imminent collapse of the entity called Nigeria!
