- Impeachment that the Nigerian president deserves is a part of democracy that should be exercised
- Election defeat is also part of democracy, unless he infers that when he loses he, Dokubo and Tompolo will attempt to truncate democracy.
BY BEN AGANDE, JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU & CHRIS OCHAI
ABUJA – PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan Thursday raised the alarm that there were remorseless anti-democratic forces who were operating under the cover of political parties working seriously to truncate the hard won democratic liberty in the country.
President Jonathan who made this revelation at the All Nigeria Political Parties and Political Stakeholders summit in Abuja noted that the anti-democratic forces were exploiting lapses in the management of the nation’s political and electoral processes to derail the 2015 general elections.
He expressed worry that some politicians make unguarded utterances in a bid to capture power and after they had failed to grip the power, because of what they had said, their followers capitalized on that and cause mayhem.
President Goodluck Jonathan (r) , APC chieftain, Gen.Muhammadu Buhari, at the All-Political Parties Summit in Abuja on Thursday with them are former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (l) and former Governor of Ogun, Chief Segun Osoba.
According to him, “I agree totally with the Chairman of INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) that we have to be mindful and make our ears to listen very well so that we can save our necks.
“There are still very remorseless anti- democratic forces operating in the political system, ever ready to exploit lapses in the management of our political and electoral processes. Some of these forces may indeed during the fourth coming elections as their lifestyle truncate the nation’s hard won democratic liberty.
“But dear compatriots, with respect to the 2015 elections in particular and our journey as a nation in General, we must never allow these negative forces to prevail.
“The onset of the fourth republic, the institutionalization of the inter party mechanism was domiciled in the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Inter party Affairs.
“The concept of inter party relations and collaboration presupposes that even though political parties may differ in ideology, process and structure of governance, they must remain united in the common objective of preserving and consolidating the nation’s unity and its democratic foundation.
“Political parties must relate with one another and conduct themselves with responsibility and statesmanship, focus of positive inputs into governance whether they are in power at present or not.
“Inter party relations and collaborations make it incumbent on the party in power to govern in recognition of beneficial voices and views of political party and vice versa for the parties out of government to proffer issue based engagement towards improved performance in governance and service delivery to the people.
“This is only possible through rancor free relationships amongst political parties in their conducts, acts and utterances.
“Nigeria’s political history since independence is replete with examples of viable collaborations amongst political parties in and out of government. Of course, listening to the speech from Former President Shagari made reference to such cases.
“In the first republic, the ruling Northern Peoples Congress NPC had an alliance with the national council of Nigerian Citizens NCNC, which allowed the leader of the later the late Rt. Hon. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe to become the President if Nigeria.
“In the second republic, a unique alliance between the ruling national Party of Nigeria, NPN and the Nigerian Peoples Party, NPP, made it possible for the NPP which did not have a majority in the house to produce the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“At the commencement of the fourth republic, on the invitation by the ruling PDP, members of the opposition parties were appointed Ministers and Special Advisers to the President and other positions in the government.
“Indeed, the first Special Adviser to the President on Inter Party Affairs, the late Senator Mahmud Waziri, was the founding chairman of the then opposition All Peoples Party, APP, later All Nigeria’s Peoples Party, ANPP.
“In furtherance of this role, the Inter Party office has continued to promote cordial and positive relationship amongst all political parties which culminated in the establishment of an inter party advisory council, IPAC, a structure recognized by INEC.