Patrick Osadebamwen
Former Nigerian Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has said that he fears that Nigeria would drift into one party state as politicians are not prepared to make the necessary sacrifices that would allow the emergence of a strong and viable opposition party.
Atiku who explained that he has reiterated the inability of Action Congress alone to provide the strong and viable opposition to the PDP said he realized that the interests in the formation of a viable opposition was truncated by the inability of others to genuinely sacrifice their interest for the country.
He explained that the institution of the Peoples Democratic Party was weak lacking the capacity to fight any form of manipulation by any sitting president who does not believe in the rule of law and desire to remain in office for a long time.
“I am scared of a dominant one party, I am so scared to my marrow. If you happen to get a person to be a President in that party and that person does not believe in vacating office, he will use the PDP that has majority in the NASS to amend the constitution to remain in power forever and he will get the PDP states house of representatives all over the federation to also carry out this amendment,” he pointed out.
Atiku maintained that the damage of such action could return the country to the dark era where dissenting voices were jailed, exiled or killed by those in power who seek to maintain the undemocratic practice.
“We will end up with a President for life and a one party state for life, only God knows what will happen to us. Many of us here who will not tolerate this action will go to exile or we will be in jail or killed am so scared of one party. The PDP is not like the ANC that has a 100 years history, a strong institution to checkmate these kinds of things. Ours, is a party that is just about 11 years and no strong institutions,” Turakin Adamawa stated.
It was against this background and the knowledge of the fact that there is no viable opposition party in country today that can provide a strong opposition to the party and clamour for the needed reform in the party that has made him retraced his steps back to join in rebuilding the old culture of internal democracy in the party.
Maintaining that reform was inevitable within the party, he said there has been call by various groups for improved changes in the party operations to reflect the aspiration of its members within the context of true internal democracy.
Assuring his supporters who gathered at the Hilton to show solidarity for his moves, Atiku said “I have every belief that it is not going to be business as usual in the PDP anymore, because the leaders are prepared for a reform, Party members are prepared for a reform, we are all reform minded in the PDP today. What we want to see is the PDP we created, established and co founded in 1998. Where there was internal democracy.”
Expatiating further on the issue, the former Vice president said the party earlier structure compelled members even those seeking election as ex-officio went round and campaign for support to be elected. Make no mistake about it this is the PDP we are going to bring back. We will bring it back” he emphasised.
Atiku who said his agenda in PDP was to be a strong loyal member who would promote reform and internal democracy and due process in the PDP pointed out that his frustration in the opposition was predicated on the unwillingness of other champions of the opposition party to make sacrifices.
On the strong opposition by the Adamawa state chapter of the party over his return, Turakin Adamawa said he was not aware of such claim as the party members insisted on their votes to count in the recently conducted by election and it turned out to be so.
