2nd August, 2014
Former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande believes that the President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party are no different from political armed robber.
Akande said this at a reception for him by APC in his federal constituency at Ila Orangun, Osun state on Saturday 2 August. He said the party has deprived Nigerians of the dividend of democracy, noting that, it is increasingly becoming embarrassing that the PDP, in its own fashion of democracy, tolerates no opposition.
“It is noble to work, to live. When a man wakes up daily to work, his aim is to gather resources to buy his needs like air-conditioners, drinks, foods, housing, clothes and some luxuries. If suddenly he realises that armed robbers are at his gate, in any decent society, his immediate reaction will be to ask for help from his government or its agents.
“And promptly, he should be defended and protected from attack. Is that possible in Nigeria today? It would have been possible if democracy were intact in Nigeria. Wherever democracy is intact, all governments and their agencies at all levels will always strive to respond to the demands of the greater number of the people within their jurisdictions.
Akande said that despite the natural resources at Nigeria’s disposal, corruption and mismanagement as made the country poor. “Today, Nigeria which is one of the wealthiest and most naturally endowed places on earth, because of deliberate incidence of corruptions and consequent mis-rule by the military administrations and the PDP over the years, is breeding the poorest and most deprived citizens within its jurisdiction.
He then lamented PDP’s power drunk approach to stifling the opposition. “Hunting for powers and to enable them be accountable to no electorate, PDP and its Presidency have begun to destroy opposition all over Nigeria by using massive federal powers to impeach governors and fully arming the police and the soldiers to protect and cover up their corrupt leaders while fraudulently manipulating the wishes of Nigerians at the pools with absolute impunity.
“It is increasingly becoming embarrassing that the PDP, in its own fashion of democracy, tolerates no opposition. Any democracy without opposition is fascism, prone to corruption and repressive rule. Unfortunately, the credulous international communities, from whose places democracy was introduced to Nigeria and to whom we can expect to intervene, seem naive in appreciating the enormity of Nigeria’s democracy bastardization system. It is definitely fascism that is being re-christened as democracy in Nigeria.
“It will be recalled that in the recently held election in Ekiti, hundreds of APC party supporters and leaders were hounded into detention at the eve of the election only for the federal government to hoodwink the global community to believe that the election was free and fair when in truth the process had been skewed in favour of the PDP in the pre-election processes.
“How can an election be said to be free and fair where majority of APC opposition members were detained for no just cause; where elected governors from other APC states were prevented from attending APC rally; while serving federal ministers and other appointees of the PDP-controlled Federal Government, who were equally not indigenes of Ekiti State, were allowed free movement in and out of the state?”
He noted that a similar negative tactic also practiced in Osun. “The same scenario is playing out again in Osun state with massive militarisation of the state by men of the state security services who are shooting sporadically everywhere in order to scare away voters and intimidate our people before the elections.
“History does not change. It is people who fail to learn the lessons of history. It was this type of actions by the then ruling parties that led to the collapse of the first and second republics of Nigeria due to the reckless use of brutal force by the ruling parties against the opposition.
“The present ruling PDP is already toeing this line at the risk of our hard earned democracy for which some of our compatriots paid the supreme sacrifice. It is ironical that these same people who were collaborators with the military while most of us were either in jail, on exile or hunted by the killer squad are still the ones toying with the destiny of our people today, using the instrument of state to intimidate and harass innocent citizens.
“This is, therefore, a clarion call to all well meaning Nigerians and the international community to immediately prevail on the ruling PDP to call its dogs of war to order and ensure that these acts of intimidation as a prelude to the massive rigging of the August 9, 2014 governorship election in Osun be stopped forthwith,” he said.
He noted that: “We are veterans in the struggle for the progress of our father land and we want to assure Nigerians that this plot will be resisted firmly and courageously by the people of Osun state. We are armed with the truth that we are all freeborn of our nation and that no one will be allowed to imprison or enslave us using our commonwealth resources for which they ought to be faithful trustees.
“The military, by their nature, had no business with the electorates. During their rules, there were serious set-backs in the lives of ordinary Nigerians. They were dictators, and Nigeria was therefore worse under military rule.
“With PDP in power, votes do not count and, therefore, the electorates are not important in PDP’s culture. That is why Nigeria has been sinking and failing under PDP governments. This present regime is the worst. No peace, no infrastructures, no industry, no employment, no prosperity, no orderliness and no peace of mind. Instead, there is panic everywhere.
“Surely, this Jonathan’s Presidency is a Political Armed Robber,” he said.