At the time former Governor of Edo state, Comrade Adams Oshiomole was celebrating his first year in office, Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka delivered a lecture, titled ”Electoral Integrity Begets Governance Integrity”.
According to Prof. Soyinka, electoral reforms remained the ultimate solution in the process of making preparations for credible future elections.
Indeed, Nigeria operates a multi-party system which does not encourage the proponents of a one party state to thrive.
Interestingly, the former Edo state Governor had called on Nigerians to share in his philosophy of rising against those proposing a one party state for the country.
Of note, is the fact that in 2009, the incumbent President, the former Vice President who was also the Presidential candidate of the Action Congress(AC) in the 2007 elections and a former Governor of Sokoto and state, and Presidential candidate of the Democratic Peoples Party(DPP), Attahiru Bafarawa, despite their glaring differences, had joined forces to prevent Nigeria from becoming a one party state under the rule of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP). They operated under the name, National Democratic Initiative(NDI).
”Something must be done urgently to reverse our descent into one party dictatorship and possible anarchy, the former Vice President had warned, while disclosing that a number of Nigerian leaders had come together to establish a broad, mass based movement of committed democrats and patriots to save the country from ”imminent collapse”.
Today, one of the selfless leaders that belonged to the NDI, is the President, and Nigerians are expressing worries over unfolding events, which suggest that the country is fast drifting into a one party state.
They might not be wrong, if the selective anti-corruption fight and the anti-people policies of Government is anything to go by.
Indeed, other members of the National Democratic Initiative also belong to the ruling party,even though it is not clear if they are righteous people, with the predicament of Nigerians in mind. What is their source of inspiration and driving force ? Greed ! Perhaps.
APC, Nigeria, Governance, Politics
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