Speaking on the musings and public outrage blaming APC and by extension President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, and not PDP for Nigeria’s slide to One Party State; Mr Osita Okechukwu foundation member of All Progressives Congress (APC) dismissed the blame game as misplaced.
Okechukwu submitted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is the culprit for the slide of Nigerian democracy to one party state.
He maintained that PDP should be held accountable for one party state not the APC, because they were inflicted by the same humongous culture of impunity and bandits of multi-colours they planted in our political culture in their sixteen years in power. (1999-2015).
Okechukwu appealed to Nigerians to go down memory lane and do candidly recall when the Tinubu led defunct Action Congress (AC) and the Buhari led defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) trudged on with one governor each despite enticing stomach infrastructure being offered by PDP government before the APC merger, that’s the hallmark of multiparty state.
He retorted that Nigeria naturally will slide into one party state when PDP the major opposition party with more than ten governors were afflicted by stomach infrastructure syndrome.
“One without being immodest recalled how Engr. Buba Galadima, then National Secretary of CPC was arrested and hounded at eve of 2007 general elections and offered all manner of carrots to abandon CPC and by extension Buhari. Or how we trudged on with minimal family survival in the 13 years interval before 2015.”
Okechukwu reminisced that since our merger in 2013, PDP members even their presidential candidate converted the APC to Rehabilitation Center, instead of adopting the prerequisite ingredients of opposition – resilience, grit and patience.
He added that it was because of culture of impunity and bandit of multi-colours that made the PDP to off handedly jettison the rotation convention of president from north to south and even Section 7 of the PDP’s Constitution, which made rotation mandatory.
“Imagine the utter breach of rotation convention by the PDP leadership not minding the unintended consequences, with the erroneous thought that His Excellency Atiku Abubakar will unlock the northern electorate from their dormitory to vote PDP in 2023 presidential election. This is misjudgment pure and simple with its collateral damages one of which is One Party State. Or let’s not forget the adjunct outlier – Mininster Nyesom Wike Masquerade. They’re at it again with fake arithmetic of South 17 and North 11 years rule since 1999, as if Nigeria got independence in 1999.” Okechukwu adduced.
When asked what the APC is doing with economic hardship in the country, to justify its one party rule?
Okechukwu answered repeatedly that the PDP should be held culpable for slide into one party state and on the issue of economic hardship he submitted that there are lights at the tunnel.
“Am in league with IPMAN, TUC and host of others for reduction of fuel pump price, luckily it is already happening as NNPC has started the reduction process.
“Secondly, I held a meeting with our national chairman, Dr Umar Ganduje, where he assured me that the Livestock Ministry will find ranch solution to herders/farmers crisis which will allow farmers to access their farms. And also that Present Tinubu is in deep negotiations with investors in electricity chain, Eastern Corridor Standard Guage Railways, Deep Seaports etc.
“It is my candid opinion that with the new mandate Tinubu gave the development commissions – South East,South West, South South,North West, North Central and North East – to shop for foreign investors the economic hardship will be alleviated.” Okechukwu finally submitted.
