ABUJA – Former National Vice Chairman, North-West of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Salihu Lukman, has raised the alarm over the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC)
Lukman noted that except the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, all the other organs of APC are not functioning.
He lamented that the two chambers of the National Assembly have been debased to the status of parastatals of the Presidency, while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is sadly regressing back to the Maurice Iwu days.
Lukman, in a statement titled “Recommended Outlook for the New Political Opposition,” said that the belief of citizens is that it is almost practically impossible to produce leaders who can pull Nigeria out of its present quagmire, adding that this belief is further re-enforced given that the opposition political leaders as presently constituted are part of the political leadership of the country who brought the country to its present state of hopelessness.
Lukman, who noted that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is becoming worse than that of former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, noted that all democratic structures that are expected to facilitate engagements with governmental structures are systematically and deliberately being weakened.
He said: “Admittedly, as it is, the reality is that bad as former President Goodluck Jonathan was, former President Buhari turned out to be worse and, in every respect, failed to justify the confidence of Nigerians. And now President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is proving to be worse than former President Buhari. Within less than two years, President Tinubu has made lives unbearable for all Nigerians in a magnitude never experienced in the history of the country.
“Beyond making life unbearable, President Asiwaju Tinubu has also created the political paradox of being an elected leader who has succeeded in weakening structures of his party. Under his leadership all political parties have been similarly weakened. Consequently, Nigeria is a so-called democracy without any functional political party.
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“Interestingly, contrary to being a progressive democrat, President Asiwaju Tinubu is about the most insensitive political leader Nigeria has seen. Insensitive both in terms of being unconcern about the consequences of the policies of his government on the welfare of citizens as well as being inaccessible to engagement and demonstrating any commitment to accommodate and mobilise citizens to support his government.
“As a result, virtually, all democratic structures that are expected to facilitate engagements with governmental structures are systematically and deliberately being weakened. For instance, the structures of the APC, which is the ruling party that produced President Asiwaju Tinubu are being demobilised. Except for the NWC, none of the organs of the party are functioning.
“All the other registered parties are in one way or the other being held to ransom with syndicated leadership crisis. The two chambers of the national assembly have been debased to the status of parastatals of the Presidency. INEC is sadly regressing back to the Maurice Iwu days and elections are becoming more and more predictable circus shows.
“All the progress made following the Justice Mohammed Uwais’ Electoral Reform work of 2009 have been jettisoned. Even basic function of conferring legal recognitions to political associations with legitimacy to participate in electoral contests are being sacrificed or blocked.
“It is such a big irony that it is under APC and President Asiwaju Tinubu that Nigerian democracy is being undermined on a scale almost equivalent to what a military regime would have done when it overthrew an elected government. Perhaps, the only difference is the symbolic retention of the constitution, the legislative arm of government and INEC without the corresponding statutory powers that organically subordinates these potentially veritable democratic structures to Nigerian citizens on account of which sovereignty will truly lie with the people.
“Partly because of this reality, political competition in the country is eroded. We are having elections without contests, which are producing emperors at all levels whose mission is simply to conquer Nigerians. From President Asiwaju Tinubu to Governors, down the line, the average mentality of politicians is to manipulate so-called elections and be returned as so-called winners of stage-managed elections.
“Across board, Nigerian politicians are characterised with high levels of intolerance, with basically zero capacity for debates and engagements. This is largely responsible for the current unfortunate reality whereby Nigerian politics is distanced or remotely associated or connected with the interests of Nigerians.”
