As Nigerians are once again about to decide the fate of the nation in the coming 2019 polls, we must bear in mind that our votes are our voice, and thus, we will be responsible for the kind of leadership we enthrone. Even though we are confronted with a situation that can be aptly described as “two sides of the same coin” regarding the current struggle for political power between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the grand opposition, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), we must however meticulously scrutinize the choices we are about to make to ensure we don’t pick the “tail” of the coin.
The options seem clear, apart from a few rabble rousing “third forces” who clearly have no coherent or realistic manifesto to offer, the choice is between a frustated APC and a desperate PDP. The purpose of this article is to state a few reasons why voting for PDP in the upcoming presidential election will be a big mistake.
1.Atiku and his party have failed to present a detailed economic blueprint they wish to implement, in fact, no concrete plans bordering on economy, foreign affairs, or security has been announced by his entire campaign office. The only statements we have heard so far are vague rhetorics on restructuring (which they have repeatedly failed to expantiate on), long winded speeches about “imitating China” and heated criticism of the policies of the current administration. Then again, remembering the fact that Atiku was in charge of the Privatisation committee that sold away all of Nigeria’s major public enterprises to cronies and profiteers, then it shouldn’t come as a surprise that no sound economic policies are coming from his angle.
2 Neither Atiku, nor his running mate, Peter Obi, can be really trusted with the treasury of this country, owing to the fact that the source of their wealth is still very much shrouded in mystery. Especially in the case of Atiku who started his career as a customs officer,and who till now is still enmeshed in scandals. Isn’t it time for us to demand that whoever wants to attain the highest office in the land should make detailed explanation of his financial resources?. Furthermore, there have been no evidence that both Atiku and Peter declared their assets before the Code of Conduct Bureau after their stint as Vice President and Governor respectively.
3 Many of the pioneers and frontrunners of the current PDP are either embroiled in embezzlement scandals or being actively prosecuted for financial crimes. In this context, we have a PDP that is a party mostly made up of criminals and rogues, how then can one trust such a party to run the affairs of a fragile nation like Nigeria?. It simply means if we vote them in, they wouldn’t need to hire armies of SANs to defend themselves anymore, instead, they will have the very instruments of state protecting their loots.
4 As much as the Buhari led APC administration has not really met up to the expectation of most Nigerians, we however should consider the state of the economy when he became President, oil prices sunk to a record low and the country was tilting to a complete shutdown. Hence, we can say that this administration didn’t have as much money as the last one, or the one before it. However, despite the glut in revenue, we can see quite a number of infrastructural projects in terms of railway and roads, coupled with sound policies such as the TSA which was implemented by the current administration, BVN, EGRP, the agriculture masterplan and so on, all these would require continuity to properly implement. If PDP is allowed to come in, we may have a situation where they will uproot most of the gains made by this administration for political reasons. This is an issue affecting the country, lack of continuity of public policies.
5 Allowing APC to rule till 2023 will level the political landscape, and pave way for a possible igbo presidency. In 2023, the competition would be between the South East and South West, this will in turn lay the foundation for an igbo presidency(if the easterners play their cards right) and quell agitations in the South East. However, in the case of allowing Atiku to win, he will run for a second term, and even the APC at that time will again field a northern candidate to complete the 8 year cycle of the north(and of course, if that candidate enters, he too will want to go for a second term, which will continue to frustrate the realization of an igbo presidency). So, it is in the best interest of the east to support a choice that will see them in the highest echelons of government sooner.
6 Atiku, while he was Vice President, was responsible for a defense deal with North Korea coming to a halt. The deal that would have seen Nigeria possess missile technology, along with other military technological transfers that would have definitely grown our defense capabilities and ensured that problems like Boko Haram wouldn’t even be an issue today. He however unwittingly informed the US government, who in turn, put pressure on the Obasanjo administration not to carry on with the deal. Such events represents how the actions of pastleaders have adversely affected the future of the nation. How then can one trust such a person with the security of our country?, a man that couldn’t keep his mouth from spilling classified information?.
Note that I am not a member or supporter of any political party, only a citizen trying to express an opinion from an unbiased point of view.
©Evarn
All Comments