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Action Congress [AC] And ANPP Marriage Of Inconvenience By Benjamin Ogbebulu
Mahatma Gandi of India, one of the greatest philosopher of our time once said and I quote: “ The things that will destroy us are politics without principle; Pleasure without conscience ; Wealth without work ; Knowledge without character; business without morality ; science without humanity and worship without sacrifice”. This quotation becomes necessary when we consider the crisis of confidence and lack of political ideologies presently rocking the AC/ANPP parties who in theory has formed alliance to out smart and defeat the PDP led Government presently headed by President Olusegun Obasanjo at the coming April elections at the state and national levels.
The Peoples Democratic Party {PDP} national convention has come and gone on Saturday , December 16 & 17 2006 respectively. The convention perceived not to be perfect has been very much reported and commented upon by all forms of the media as to the way and manner Governor Yar Adua mysteriously metamorphosed, favoured , officially endorsed , support , backed by the party and eventually becomes PDP Presidential Flag bearer over 12 other contestants whose candidatures, even though some of them have the requisites to become the flag bearer but were not officially endorsed by the party for the May election in Nigeria. The efforts embarked upon by the national leadership of the party to reconciled all the aggrieved by summoning all the presidential aspirants and those who felt they have been marginalised to contest in whatever capacities within the party { PDP RETREAT} in Abuja recently to dialogue and redress their grievances was welcome if not commendable.
The PDP Presidential party elect himself in respect of Governor Umar Musa Yar Adua has been consulting and dialoguing to ensure PDP’s victory come in April’s election. With this development , it shows PDP though not perfect, is organised, focus and ready for battle strategically to win the election to consolidate and complete the reforms embark upon by president Olusegun administration. As a political analyst who has been following political events in Nigeria, research shows that PDP is a party that believes in mixed economy with its ideaology gearing towards open market economy as the era of communism and socialism have become a thing of the past and societies both developed and developing world are now embracing either capitalism or mixed economies { a little bit to the right and left as currently seen in the British economy} or purely capitalism as seen in the US economy.
WHO IS GOVERNOR UMAR MUSA YAR ADUA PDP PRESIDENTIAL FLAG BERARER AND WHAT IS HIS POLITICAL IDEAOLOGY AND LEANINGS?
YarAdua according to research was once a chemistry lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University and said to belong to the ultra –right Northern Nigerian Conservative political Leanings . He personally consider himself belonging to the moderate radical political left ideologically speaking . His political pedigree has always been aligned with what in the Nigerian Political arena is labelled “ progressives” political club of radical politicians and academia who by nature is simple but not stupid. These attributes could be found in candidates like Musiliu Obanikoro, PDP Flagbearer of Lagos state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, PDP Flag bearer of Ogun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola Of Osun State and Professor Osunbor , PDP Flag bearer of Edo State to mention a few. Yar Adua according to report, is a man who is very conscious of the sufferings of the downtrodden masses of Nigeria and totally devoted and committed to providing dynamics and responsible leadership as currently seen in Katsina where he is currently the governor of the state and he is on mission in his quest for redeeming and alleviating the absolute poverty and suffering of the Nigeria masses at the federal level if elected as a successor to president Olusegun Obasanjo come in April. No wonder there is jittering among other candidates considering his political and ideological leanings . He was once a member of the left of the centre social Democratic party { SDP} which further show the consistency in his personal independent political believes breaking ranks with family tradition and not seen as a renegade or rebel of a sort considering his familial political pedigree and associates with the likes of Mallam Aminu Kano , Alhaji Abubakar Rimi ; Alhaji Balarabe Musa and radical left leaning Academics such as Late Dr Yusuf Bala Usman and late Dr Modibo Tukur of History Department , Ahmadu Bello University, { ABU } Zaria.
Governor Yar Adua , PDP Presidential flag bearer, come from a very influential member of the Northern Nigeria Elite political class; educated and trained by the then British Colonial administration before the time of the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates of the then British Empire that later , became known as Nigeria in 1914. His brother late Mallam Musa Yar Adua according to research , was among the top notched Northern politicians that participated in the formation and running of the first Republic of Nigeria .Late Mallam Musa Yar Adua served as the First { and the only} minister for Lagos Affairs in the late Abubakar Tafawa Balewa regime { 1960-1967} and his late brother serve as deputy to president Olusegun Obasanjo between 1976-1979 and later laid down his life in prison for Democracy to prevail in Nigeria. No wonder Governor Yar Adua his younger brother flagged off his presidential Campaign from Lagos to show his respect for the people and Nigeria at large.
As Democracy remains the vehicle for enduring positive change and politics and political consciousness is what feeds democracy , political students and practitioners { politicians} will agree with this writer , that no community can attain positive change through democracy without first of all , the political structure that nourishes political consciousness and this lead s to the issue of marriage of inconvenience{ alliance} that currently exist in theory between the AC and ANPP Parties due to lack of political and non ideological leanings of the parties . Nigerians would like to know what AC and ANPP stands for?. While this writer do not believe in PDP one party or soliciting for one party democratic system, I hold the view that it is not good for the two parties to say they embraced democracy by alliance and endlessly extolling its virtues but at the same time busy debasing the tenets that make democracy work by being hypocritical and not transparent in their dealing with each other but yet accuse PDP of being undemocratic and not transparent. They say it is democratic to give people the right to vote , the leaders of these parties go behind their members and steal their votes and impose on them unpopular leaders they did not vote for as seen in AC where It was alledged that a candidate was imposed on other AC Governorship aspirants who eventually decamped enmasse to other political parties in the state. The same scenario happened at the states like Edo state and is gearing its head up at the National level, Nigerians are not fools and keenly waiting to see what would be the outcome of the alliance.
Nigeria as a nation needs leaders that are not only accountable but also passionate about leaving an eternal legacy of development , justice and political empowerment of her youths , downtrodden and women with the view that the “ great Nigeria “ most of us think we should be and most of us in the diaspora think we deserve is only achievable through the existence of peace, unity and progress of the component nation states that make present Nigeria. The only way the country can attain greatness politically, socially and economically will be through sefless and impartial analysis of character ,formulation of mass oriented policies , programmes and positive pronouncement of words and actions by our political leaders who should create pluralistic society that has clearly defined goals and political will of achieving them.
Benjamin Ogbebulu is an Administrator, writer, Environmentalist and political analyst based in London, England .
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