“Nigerians should make sure that they take the comment by the former president seriously. He said so the other time (2007)and we all saw what followed.”
A broad spectrum of the opposition riled by former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s reported attempt to resurrect “do-or-die” approach to the April general elections have carpeted him, describing him as a man still living in the past.
However, they said the opposition was more than ever prepared to checkmate him and stave-off bid to manipulate the electoral process this time unlike what happened in 2007.
According to them, a desperate politician like him has no place in the current democratic dispensation.
Consequently, they urged Nigerians to be vigilant so that only the electorate would decide where the political pendulum would swing to in the April elections.
Those who spoke with GidiGlobe on the issue are the Action Congress of Nigeria; Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation; Congress for Progressive Change, led by Gen. Muhammadu Buhari; Conference of Nigeria Political Parties; the Labour Party and Conference of Nigeria Political Parties.
At a PDP presidential rally in Lagos, the former president had voiced in Yoruba language, “Obasanjo would resist if we vote and we don’t win,” which was interpreted by observers as an attempt to restart his do-or-die mentality to elections.
The do-or-die philosophy characterised the 2007 polls, and has since remained a negative lexicon in the country’s democracy for which Obasanjo is infamously remembered.
Obasanjo had even on Friday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, denied his alleged “do-or-die” comment, saying that he was misquoted. The denial came even as he said that the PDP won Lagos in 2003, just as he alleged that the ACN was using the judiciary to win elections.
He said, “We had suffered it before. In 2003, the PDP won in Lagos and that was stolen. Now, the PDP will not stand for a stolen election. They have moved from direct stealing to stealing through the judiciary and you said that I should accept that, aren’t you part of that, don’t you know that?”
However, reacting to this on Saturday, the ACN through its Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, said the PDP was synonymous with rigging.
He said, “On the contrary, PDP never won anywhere without rigging. If there is any party synonymous with rigging and fraud, it is the PDP. You must know by now that PDP is so synonymous with rigging and fraud that football fans all over Nigeria today call any crooked referee PDP.”
The CPC presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, said that Obasanjo’s statement was unfortunate.
Buhari, who reacted through his spokesman, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said, “It is a repetition of the Obasanjo mantra of do–or-die elections. It shows he has not learnt anything from the past.
“It also manifests the high level of desperation of the PDP to win elections and lack of regard for the electorate.
“They (PDP members) want to ride roughshod on people, but people should be prepared for them too. They should not be allowed to manipulate people’s electoral will.”
The Secretary-General of the Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Dr. Femi Okurounmu, said, “Given all the promises of Jega (the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Obasanjo obviously is still living in the past.”
He said that as a former president, Obasanjo should sit down at home and offer good advice to Nigerians.
Also, the National Chairman of Labour Party, Chief Dan Nwanyanwu, lampooned Obasanjo for re-echoing his belief in do-or-die politics.
Nwanyanwu, who spoke in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, however, said the former president was living in the past.
He said since the leopard would not change its spot, Nigerians should know that it would be difficult for the former president to change from his beliefs.
He said, “Anyway, you know that a leopard will not change its spot no matter its age. Unfortunately, Obasanjo did not know that we have passed those dark days.
“He is still living in the past. And Nigerians are ready to discard politics of old, which is outdated. What happened in 2007 when peoples’ votes did not count will never happen in this country again.
“That was why Obasanjo when he was in government, supervised the stolen of mandate of people. That will not happen again.
“In 2007, we had Obasanjo. In 2011, we have President Goodluck Jonathan who does not share such archaic belief of the former president.
“In 2007, we had Prof. Maurice Iwu, who did not believe in credible election. But in 2011, we have Prof. Attahiru Jega, who is ready to do everything in order to allow votes count.
“So, you can see that there are lots of changes in the system. If he wants to do do-or-die politics, I am sorry for him because Nigerians are interested in do-and-live politics.”
Similarly, the CNPP asked Nigerians and members of the opposition political parties to take Obasanjo’s comment seriously.
The CNPP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, however, assured that members of the opposition were ready to make sure that their votes counted.
He said, “Nigerians should make sure that they take the comment by the former president seriously. He said so the other time and we all saw what followed.
“But this time around, we would make sure that what happened during the inglorious days of Prof. Maurice Iwu did not repeat itself.
“It was a bad history and we would make sure that we do not allow that to happen again.
“It is unfortunate that while Nigerians and the international community are working towards a peaceful election, Obasanjo is busy preaching violence. God will not allow him to succeed.”
The CPC Publicity Secretary, Geidam Almajiri, said Obasanjo was obviously out of tune with reality.
“Obasanjo from all indications is still living in the past. People don’t expect anything good from the Peoples Democratic Party,” he said.
“When you look at the campaigns you only see contractors and opportunists at PDP rallies,” he said.
The former President had in Abeokuta during a meeting of PDP members on February 10, 2007, said elections of that year would be a do-or-die affair; the word has since become a negative refrain in the country’s democratic experiment.
No comments:
Post a Comment