BEVERLY HILLS, May 28, (THEWILL) – The pioneer Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Anietie Okon, has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in Nigeria, as a misfit for democracy, saying it lacked respect for the Rule of Law and constitutional provisions.
Okon, who gave the description in an exclusive chat with our correspondent in Uyo, on the state of the country’s 22 years of democracy, stated that it was a fundament failure of democracy to have a President who was busy undermining the very basic conduct that he should respect to have a good legacy to handover.
The PDP chieftain, who doubled as the pioneer Organising Secretary, maintained that the country’s democracy fared very well until 2015 when the present administration took over power.
He said: “Up till 2015, we had fared very well in terms of democratic practices and respect for the Rule of Law and Federal Character until Buhari took over power. It is very clear that the President is irrational because no rational human being will conduct the affairs of the country the way he does.
“I had mentioned before that unbridled nepotism is what would ruin Nigeria; and we have seen it. Even in the midst of calls for reasonability, the man does not know that there is anything called Federal Character.
“He does not even know that that is a fundamental constitutional provision, which is the basis of our association as a country. He does not even know that opposition is what makes democracy. You can’t have democracy without opposition’s line of thought.
“The country is beyond Buhari. It is beyond APC. They have failed so completely.”
Speaking further, the Senator of the Second Republic said that since taking over from May 2015, the regime has had a hallmark of achievements predicated on economic downturn, where citizens were completely disillusioned and cannot even sleep with their eyes closed.
“Democracy is about the citizens and when the citizens are so completely frustrated, disturbed and distrusting about the country, will you still talk about democracy? That means they don’t even know the meaning of democracy.
“I blame people like Tinubu who never knew Buhari. He wasn’t in the country in 1983. Even his fellow officers found it difficult to operate with him and had to remove him from power.
“The late General Joshua Dogonyaro stated that every effort General Ibrahim Babangida made to correct him failed and they had no option then to remove him.”
On the recent movement of some PDP members to the ruling APC, Okon said those defecting lacked principles, faith and ideology to belong to anywhere.
“These are people without principle, people who had no ideology or faith to belong to anybody. They don’t even believe in the country. If they see a red party made up of foreigners now; they will join. They are nowhere. Just hanging on for what they believe would be their personal gain,” he expressed.
Okon expressed optimism that his party, the PDP would get its house in order before the 2023 general elections and take over power from APC.
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