The
National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu,
has said the decision of the aggrieved members of the Peoples
Democratic Party to join the APC will change Nigeria’s political
landscape forever.
Tinubu, who said this in an interview with the Aljazeera Television, on Wednesday, added that the party would fight corruption and waste in government. A script of the interview was obtained by The PUNCH, in Abuja, on Wednesday.
He expressed confidence that Nigeria’s political landscape had changed forever and for good.
In response, the National Publicity
Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh, said time
will tell which political party was truly popular.
According to Tinubu, the decision by the
governors and their supporters to join the opposition APC has tilted
the scale and balance of power in favour of the opposition.
He argued that Nigeria was now moving from imperialism to what he called proper democracy.
Tinubu said, “This development will
start reshaping the landscape of politics in this country forever. Not
for us only but for generation unborn.
“And the future of this country to take
its position as a leader in Africa and not just as a well populated
country that is big and directionless.
“Nigeria has tried in the past to
achieve stable democracy. Like other African countries, we have had our
share of military rule and a bit of democratic rule.
“But we are blessed with human and
material resources which have not been harnessed for the welfare of the
mass of the people in this country.”
The APC leader observed that the
sophistication, honesty, trust, transparency which were essential
ingredients of the electoral process had been absent in the Nigerian
system.
Speaking further about the defects of
the Nigerian political system, Tinubu said the balance of power was
currently tilted in favour of the incumbency.
He noted that Nigerians had never seen a
group that would have a common focus and put patriotism as the
cornerstone of their guiding principle.
“This is a party that will put people at
the forefront of their cause in participating in politics. Never has
there been a group that will focus on the welfare of the Nigerian
citizenry and fight corruption and waste in governance.
“There are many areas that this new APC
alliance and effort will unveil. We will ensure that we have credibility
in the voting system, the character, commitment of our people – the
value that you want to pass the torch to the coming generation on
democracy,” he said.
Tinubu, who is a former Lagos State
governor, observed that the perception of having so many governors
working together in one party and platform alone would encourage people
to share ideas as well as values and boost their confidence in the
electoral system.
He also stressed that a shift in the
power equilibrium would rekindle the expectation of the world that the
nation’s opposition did not only exist on paper but that it was
physically present in Nigeria.
He accused the ruling party of
systematically encouraging corruption, lacking care and focus on the
primary things that would develop the country.
He expressed sadness that Nigeria had kept missing the bull’s eye in the critical path to a democratic success.
However, Metuh said it was laughable for
the opposition party which was the “home of corruption” to accuse the
PDP administration.
Metuh said “2015 is just by the corner
it’s not too far. Talk is cheap, they have played all their cards and
done all they think they can do, time will tell who has more number of
followers.”
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