Though a lot of progressives and lovers of Nigeria, especially Western Nigeria have expressed outrage and disgust over the fraud in the primaries of the ACN, I want to confess I expected it.
Though a lot of progressives and lovers of Nigeria, especially Western Nigeria have expressed outrage and disgust over the fraud in the primaries of the ACN, I want to confess I expected it.
On October 22, 2006? I was at a meeting of the Alliance for democracy, (AD) in Washington DC. Chief Akande was present and he put forward his retrogressive reasons for the type of 419 abracadabra they just pulled in Nigeria. He dismissed party primaries with a wave of the hand.
It was then I noticed the monster of dictatorship in this old man. His argument was based on a close knowledge of those whom they hand pick not to betray the party. My question to him that day was a simple explanation for the conduct and defection of most of their selected and trusted people from the AD to the PDP. Patricia Etteh, Senators Seye Ogunlewe, Wahab Dosumu and Musiliu Obanikoro were all hand picked by the omniscient party leaders, yet they defected to join the ruling party. Baba Akande had no answer for my simple question. I guess he was caught flat footed.
One would have thought these so called party elders who stridently condemn the excesses of the PDP learnt anything from their disastrous outing in 2003. We now know otherwise. There is no excuse, absolutely no justification for the disgraceful political cherry picking of candidates for 2011lections by the ACN. It is more grating that baba Akande told party members and all lovers of democracy to go to hell if they were not comfortable with his idea of British parliamentary system. I wonder which Britain the old man was talking about. At the risk of sounding trite I think Baba Akande should seriously consider a full retirement from the affairs of the Action Congress of Nigeria. The old age syndrome is beginning to manifest itself.
Now, it is pertinent to ask the leadership of the ACN, these 419 leaders if a tree makes a forest If they spear headed the growth of the party, is that a reason to jettison the wishes and interest of the majority who constitute the follower ship? In that case Akande’s testosterone infused outburst was childish, puerile, illogical and a complete negation of the tenets of democracy which they have mouthed all along. I have maintained to my friends that Bola Tinubu, Baba Akande and the so called leadership of the ACN are different sides of the same coin with the PDP. I guess we have been vindicated
If Baba’s defense of the theft of the will of the people was his contribution to the struggle for democracy in Nigeria, I wonder what he has to say about the martyrdom of Kudi Abiola whose son; Jamiu was robbed of his victory in Abeokuta. We ought to note that the imposition of the children and family members on the ACN is just the tip of the iceberg. Look at Chief Osoba in Ogun state. He awarded his son, Olumide the ticket for the House of Representatives at the expense of those who have walked the talk for the party in Ogun state in the last eight years. This was a man who abandoned the party and members to the excesses and high handedness of the Gbenga Daniels. He was hiding out in his Bourdillon road home in Ikoyi, Lagos. Yet when he felt the time was ripe to ride the wave of anti PDP in the West, pronto he rigged the office for his son. Does a good shepherd abandon his flock? Chief Osoba returned to Ogun state to reap where he did not sow. yet, baba Akande does not see anything wrong in such immorality. Olumide Osoba reportedly became a member of the party about 3 months ago. That was at the expense of jamiu Abiola and others who had endured the high handedness of Gbenga Daniel and the excesses of thePDP in the last 8 years!
Now, how about the greatest fraud of them all, Bola Tinubu. In Lagos state, he alone cornered 4 tickets for his immediate family members From his wife Oluremi Tinubu who got a ticket to go to the senate at the expense of seasoned politicians, to his daughter, Folasade Tinubu-Ojo who was awarded the ticket for the House of representatives, to his son in law, Oyetunde Ojo who was awarded the ticket foe the state House of Assembly. What BAT wanted, BAT stole from Lagosians. He did not stop there; he removed the deputy governor for one of his own. Wonders will never end.
The question baba Akande should answer is this, whatever happened to section 5(ii) of the party’s constitution? It states …objective…is the attainment of political power through legitimate, democratic, and constitutional means for the purpose of cultivating an egalitarian society based on the principle of equality, freedom and social justice…” Article 6 (1) (a) of the party’s constitution, confers on members the right to contest election on the platform of the party without any discrimination whatsoever”. These people do not even believe in their own party’s constitution.
Baba Akande by his outburst has confirmed his political immaturity and naivety. It is even more painful that beneficiaries of the right to democracy such as Dr Fayemi and Mallam Aregbesola wasted no time to dump their supporters just to have a seat at the table. People died, traveled to court sessions on behalf of these two people, they risked life and limbs to confront the monster called PDP, yet they were abused as not contributing anything to the growth of the party by an obviously immature politician, one exhibiting the signs and symptoms of senior moments.
However, we the people will not roll over and die. Since they conned us into believing there was going to be primaries. They conned our candidates out of their hard earned money for forms and all other sundry expenses, we will show them the might of the majority. We will demystify Bola Tinubu and Baba Akande in Western Nigeria and in my home in the old Mid West. What these disenfranchised people need to do now is to INSTITUTE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST THE ACN, CITING SECTION 87 OF THE ELECTORAL ACT OF 2010. Go ahead and get an injunction against these fraudulent people and make the INEC disqualify them. It is better not to have candidates than to have these beneficiaries of 419 guerilla tactics. IT WILL TEACH THEM NOT TO TAKE US FOR GRANTED IN FUTURE.
We must give the Ikorodu 2011 treatment to Bola Tinubu. His excesses need to be curtailed now before he ruins Yoruba land. The argument that they do not want party fat cats from outside to buy up the seats in ACN is not tenable. There are provisions in the party's constitution which does not allow such people to contest such elections. Unfortunately, it has been jettisoned in the ACN while these same 419 leaders are smiling all the way to the bank from ill gotten bribes offered by emergency candidates. Therefore, this argument is an after thought and illogical. It is a reaction of people who were caught with their hands in the cookie jar.
We will vote for Fasola in April, but we must do everything humanly possible to defeat all the imposed candidates. They were not made party leaders to betray us. They were not made party leaders to disenfranchise us. They were not made party leaders to impose their children on us for positions they are undeserving of. If they feel their families are that good, why not subject them to the primaries in a test of popularity. . . Spread the word all over Nigeria, the under listed candidates are beneficiaries of 419 election tactics and therefore must be defeated. No one should vote for them in the general elections in April. Just as you disgraced the ACN in the Ikorodu bye election, make sure your vote counts and reject these 419 candidates on that day They are not true representatives of our people. Let baba Akande and the others who did all the work for the party, who single handedly built the party without the contribution of the followership go and vote for them. These people must be defeated by all means and any means possible. In fact, besides Governor Fashola, all other ACN candidates must be rejected at the polls in April. Do not sell your votes. Do not sell your conscience. These rascals are not better than you. Their fraudulent access to power and treasury is the only difference between us. We will show them.
OLUREMI TINUBU
FOLASADE TINUBU-OJO
OYETUNDE OJO
OLUMIDE OSOBA (CHIEF OLUSEGUN OSOBA’S SON)
DAPO ADESINA (LAM ADESINA’S SON)
These people are political neophytes. They are feather weight and their parents know so. However they want to give them the golden parachute at the expense of the rest of us. They want their children, wives and lovers to join the league of treasury looters in Abuja even while they condemn the PDP for sins of commission and omission. These people are even worse than the PSP. They are what we can describe as the 5 fingers of a leprous hand. Apologies to Chief Bola Ige. If any one knows the names of the relatives of baba Akande who are reported to be listed for position in Osun state, please publish it so that we can move to prevent them from climbing on our backs These 419 candidates must be defeated by any means and all means possible. Finally, we need to apologize to the PDP for thinking they were the worst offenders. Indeed, the shoe fits on the other leg. Our own party is even worse than the PDP.
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