A former National Vice Chairman, Northwest, of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Moh. Lukman, has blasted his party for dashing the hopes of Nigerians in the last nine years.
In a statement on Tuesday, while restating his membership of
the party, Lukman said the worst part of the situation is that “we have elected
governments, virtually at all levels, performing worse than military rulers.”
He noted that 25 years after the advent of democracy in
1999, the welfare condition of Nigerians is unarguably worse, while
unemployment and poverty indices have increased.
His words, “Poor management of national resources has
continued so much so that crisis of insecurity and threat to human lives is the
new normal.
“The worst part of it is that we have elected governments,
virtually at all levels, performing worse than military rulers. Although
theories of democracy and politics have unquestionably proven that elected
leaders will be more accountable, 25 years of democratic rule in Nigeria is yet
to produce leaders that are predisposed to accommodating the interests of
citizens.
“Instead, we keep moving almost in the opposite direction to
whatever could be estimated as the interest of Nigerians, no matter how
narrowly defined.
“Is it that Nigeria’s democracy is yet to open the expected
opportunity? Or is it that the majority of Nigerians are unable to ‘positively
grab’ the opportunity, which democracy presents? What is the opportunity, which
democracy presents?
“These are fundamental questions, which we must interrogate
to be able to come to terms with our Nigerian reality and perhaps develop
creative initiatives on how to exercise the freedoms that come with democracy
based on which the opportunities it presents can be ‘positively grabbed’ in
order to achieve the desired effect of resolving our national challenges.
“First, while interrogating this issue, I want to affirm my
membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and recognize that the last
nine years have disappointingly dashed the expectations of Nigerians.
“I make this admission as someone who is committed to
progressive politics based on the conviction that the first thing that
qualifies anyone to be a progressive is the capacity to recognize challenges
based on a correct assessment of realities.
“A correct assessment of reality is about honest criticisms
and taking responsibility. It is not about rationalizing choices or denial of
challenges and realities,” he added.
According to him, being a party founded with the vision of
becoming a progressive party, it has crashed below whatever a political party
represents, not to mention being progressive.
“As it is today, its leadership doesn’t obey its own
constitution, it doesn’t hold meetings, and it is accountable to no one. Since
2015, when the party was elected as a ruling party, with former President
Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated as president of the Federal Republic, the
manifesto of the party has been virtually abandoned, and leaders of the party
have little or no say in the management of governments it produced at all
levels.
“Processes of appointments into government and policy
decisions have been made the prerogative of the president at the national level
and governors at state levels.
“Like under military rule, when citizens were reduced to
distant observers, under the APC, party leaders and members have also become
distant observers,” he said.
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