Former President Olusegun Obasanjo
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Ghali
Umar Na’Abba on Monday identified godfatherism as the bane of Nigeria’s
political parties.
And he laid the blame squarely on the shoulders of former President
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, accusing him of encouraging dictatorship and
godfatherism not only in PDP, but in all the political parties in
Nigeria.
“In all honesty, since the inception of the Fourth Republic, in all the
political parties, there is absolutely no internal democracy.”
Speaking further Na’Abba said “Our best brains are becoming
causalities; and they are the ones that understand the workings of
democracy. People now engage themselves in sycophancy so that they can
remain relevant in the scheme of things.”
He added: “Sycophancy has stripped Nigerian politics of morality.”
Na’Abba pointed out that all political parties in Nigeria are guilty of
these anomalies, saying that lack of internal democracy in the parties
is gradually killing the system.
Addressing reporters in Kano on Monday at the NUJ Press Centre, Ghali
Na’Abba noted that a great number of those in political positions in the
country got there through the back door.
He explained that “While I was the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, I did so much to entrench internal democracy - to see
to it that the phenomenon does not continue and I did a lot, including
even trying to impeach Chief Obasanjo.”
“You see, anytime this problem of lack of internal democracy is being
discussed, Obasanjo’s name must be mentioned. He pocketed the PDP and
planted his stooges as leaders and political office holders. He also
planted his stooges in other political parties and caused confusion in
the system.”
He continued: “During Obasanjo’s tenure, every region in the country,
including his own zone, the South-West, complained of marginalization. I
was aware that Obasanjo’s project was to destabilize the North; and at
least three northern political leaders were helping him to achieve this
agenda.”
Ghali Na’Abba further noted that: “The situation in the country is so
bad that people don’t ask who is elected, but who is given the party’s
ticket!”
The former Speaker, who is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), noted that “Our political parties today operate without
manifestoes because politics have been privatised. Nobody talks of party
manifestoes. The failure in the system is symbiotic. It is both the
failure of the President, governors and the party leadership.”
This Day
No comments:
Post a Comment