Politics

El-Rufai, Atiku Take On Tinubu-Led FG On Nigeria’s Dying Democracy

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has launched a scathing critique of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing it of forsaking its founding ideals and perpetuating ineffective leadership.

Speaking at a national conference in Abuja aimed at strengthening democracy in Nigeria, El-Rufai labelled the current state of governance and opposition in the country a “national emergency.”

He expressed deep concern over the lack of internal democracy and active party structures within the APC, stating, “I no longer recognise the APC. No party organ has convened in two years—no caucus, no NEC, nothing. It’s unclear if we are dealing with a one-man show; it feels more like a zero-man show.”

The former governor condemned the calibre of leadership emerging from political parties, attributing this to the presence of unqualified delegates.

“We cannot afford to have illiterates, semi-illiterates, and deceitful individuals in leadership roles. This is why we end up with the subpar leadership we see today,” he asserted.

El-Rufai called on political parties to establish more rigorous standards for candidates and delegates, stressing that the constitution’s minimum requirement of a secondary school certificate should not be adequate for party nominations.

Reflecting on the founding vision of the APC, he reminded attendees that the party was initially created to combat corruption, revitalise the economy, and enhance security. However, he lamented that those goals have been abandoned.

“The issues that prompted the establishment of the APC remain unresolved, and I no longer believe the APC is committed to addressing them. The gap between me and the party continues to widen,” he revealed.

El-Rufai also urged opposition parties to unite and create a broad coalition to challenge the ruling party and safeguard democracy.

“There are internal mercenaries within the PDP, hired and incentivised to undermine the party. The Labour Party encounters similar challenges. Peter Obi himself confided in me, ‘I don’t know what’s happening in the party I contested with.’

“It appears there is a deliberate agenda to dismantle opposition parties,” he alleged.

Citing a poll that indicated 75% of registered voters might abstain from the 2027 elections, El-Rufai warned of a looming crisis.

“This is perilous. For those of us who have endured half our lives under military rule, we understand the implications. We do not desire military rule, but we also reject civilians behaving like the military in their babbar riga and suits,” he cautioned.

He implored opposition parties to put aside their differences and forge a united front to preserve democracy.

“This is a national emergency, and we must act before history repeats itself,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has declared that Nigeria’s democracy is at a critical juncture, stressing the importance of coalition-building and a potential merger to displace the ruling All Progressives Congress from power.

During his remarks as a panellist at the National Conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria in Abuja on Monday, Atiku highlighted that state capture poses a significant barrier to achieving meaningful democratic change.

He said, “There’s no doubt that our democracy is at a crossroads. Put simply, it is at the risk of eroding completely. And it is not caused by one single person or one single administration. In fact, a number of us have been warning over the years that we may come to this pass if we lose our vigilance and fail to take corrective actions to protect and deepen our democracy.

“At the risk of sounding modest, I doubt that there are many contemporary senior political leaders who have spoken out and done more to promote democratic governance in our country than me.

“In addition to public statements and presentations, I brought some actions to our courts which produced landmark judicial decisions intended to uphold democratic principles and practices.

“Some of that effort was thrust upon me by circumstances of political struggles. But much of my effort was because of two things: my participation among other leaders in the struggles to ease the military out of power; and my deep and enduring belief that democracy is the best route to development and unity for our diverse country and peoples.

“Democracy is characterised by, among other things, people’s freedom to choose their leaders; periodic elections, which partly ensure leaders’ commitment to the welfare of the governed, leaders’ acceptance of guardrails (without restraints leaders tend to accumulate and abuse power); consequences for non-compliance, including rejection at the polls.

‘An independent judiciary to adjudicate disputes, and in a presidential system, checks and balances among the three branches of government.”

Atiku expressed concern over the declining consistency in governance and the erosion of people’s freedom to choose their leaders, noting that nostalgic references to the developmental achievements of the First Republic, in comparison to later periods, highlight this decline.

The former Vice President added that “deterioration in people’s freedom to choose their leaders has led to what many now regard as state capture in our country, the gravest consequence of which is the increasing difficulty in removing those in power through democratic means.

He suggested that the institutional capacity of political parties, the normative acceptance by party members, consequences for non-compliance, and judicial reforms must be urgently addressed.

According to Atiku, democracy cannot be sustained without strong political parties, particularly opposition parties.

He stated, “Ownership of parties by or their subordination to individual big men is the antithesis of democracy. Party supremacy is critical. But party supremacy can’t be achieved through the current funding model for our parties.

“Funding by governors and a few wealthy individuals is not a democratic model.

As we know, he who pays the piper dictates the tune. Funding must be democratised. Members must invest in and co-own parties.

“Normative acceptance (compliance by members, especially leaders) of party rules and the country’s laws. Laws that are not obeyed cannot effectively influence people’s behaviour. Party members, especially leaders, must subject themselves to party supremacy and the rules of the game. Democratising funding will help to get leaders to abide by the rules.

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