Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press,
I welcome you to this Press briefing in the name of the National Leadership of the Congress for Progressive Change, cpc.
Preamble:
General Muhammadu Buhari (GMB) has arguably become one of the very few Nigerian leaders with unblemished public service record. The meritorious services as Military commander, Military Governor, Minister of Petroleum resources, Head of State and lastly, Chairman of Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) all bear eloquent testimony to GMB's passionate desire for the emancipation of the Nigerian Nation.
Owing to the paucity of credible ideologues on the political landscape coupled with the sore need for self-abnegation in the Nation's political leadership, relentless pressure was mounted on GMB to consider joining party politics. In his characteristic unassuming disposition, GMB circumspectly weighed all the options. Finally, in 2002, GMB saw this as an opportunity to serve and pitched his tent with the All Nigeria Peoples' Party (ANPP).
Against the ruling Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP), the ANPP felt hugely comfortable to contest the 2003 Presidential Elections with General Muhammadu Buhari as its Presidential candidate. Indeed, Nigerians (from the six geo-political zones), who are genuinely desirous of the needed change from the rapacity and cluelessness in the Nation's political governance, found the entry of GMB into Party politics as a welcome development.
The maturity of Nigeria's fledgling democracy was put to test in the 2003 general election with a palpably desperate PDP together with its Presidential candidate and incumbent President, Olusegun Obasanjo, employing all manner of impunity and inebriated use of executive power to bring about massive manipulation of the election. The Chairman of the Electoral body, National Electoral Commission (NEC), Dr Abel Guobadia, returned Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as validly elected.
The 2007 elections came amidst the controversy of the invidious desire of the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo to extend its tenure through a questionable 'third-term' agenda. With the unreserved jettisoning of the bill at the National Assembly, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under the Chairmanship of Professor Maurice Iwu, was saddled with organizing the National elections. The planning and implementation of the 2007 elections was worse than the 2003. There was widespread allegation of manipulation and outright allocation of votes. With the declaration of the Presidential election result in favour of the PDP candidate, Late Alhaji Umaru Musa-Yar'adua, the ANPP (against the admonition of GMB) approached the Election Tribunal for adjudication on its election petition. Later on, the decision to withdraw the petition created sharp cleavages within the ANPP. Unbeknownst to many, the top echelon of the ANPP leadership had used the withdrawal of the court case as the bargaining chip for participation in the PDP's Government of National Unity (GNU). This, undoubtedly, was a traitorous act which polarized the Party.
With the finality shown in the four-against-three-split-d
CPC - A CHILD OF NECESSITY
The political party we know today as Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) was inspired by the persona and political principles of the man who is now generally referred to as the most popular political figure in contemporary Nigeria - General Muhammadu Buhari (GMB). The idea to form the party came to some men as they watched the humongous injustice meted to the opposition by the ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to all the good citizens of Nigeria who
believed in the sound political ideals of the beloved General, by corrupting the electoral structures and processes through which they could vote in the leadership they desired. This was perpetrated by infiltrating the ANPP, and then rigging the presidential elections.
Having crossed the rubicon, CPC was born in December 2009 with considerable hope as a replacement for the ruling PDP that had held sway since 1999.
The affairs of the new Party, at that time, firmly rested on the shoulders of an unelected Protem Executive led by Senator Rufa'i Hanga. Owing to the political ambition of the Protem Chairman to govern Kano State, the machinery of the Party was unfairly skewed for that purpose. This would prove to be the genesis of the intractable problem that bedeviled the Party in that State. However, after empanelling the committee that would later organize the Party's convention, the protem Executive resigned on 28th December, 2010.
Senator Sani Ahmed Stores indeed has an axe to grind with the Party leadership. After the Supreme Court judgment on the Katsina-10, the Party was unequivocal about its original choice of Senator Sadiq Yar-adua, despite the profuse pleadings of Senator Ahmed Sani Stores. Again, for being part of the Party chieftains that sabotaged the party's bright fortunes in Katsina State during the April 2011 governorship elections, he was expelled from CPC!
Barrister Emeka Okafor could not account for the money given to him to rent Party office in Enugu. He was shoved aside but still continued to masquerade as a Party Chieftain in Enugu State. However, in 2011 (after the general elections), having been found guilty of embarrassing the Party by taking part in an infamous televised appearance in support of the PDP, he was expelled!
Mr Dennis Aghanya, as the Protem National Publicity Secretary, was found guilty of unholy alliance with the PDP-led government in Enugu State. The Board of Trustees (BOT) placed him on indefinite suspension in November 2010.
Alhaji Sheu Barau Ningi, having been queried on a nine-count charge bordering on insubordination against the leadership of the Party in Bauchi State, was suspended on 29th February, 2012. His continued show of recalcitrance and
unrestrained bellicosity finally earned him expulsion from the Party on 1ih April, 2012. The subsequent plea for leniency by him in a letter dated 13th April, 2012 has not been acted upon.
Muhammed Lawai el-Yakub and Sheu Nafuntua were both found guilty of intransigence by the Party's BOT and were subsequently expelled.
We have given you a status check on the Principal characters that purportedly held a Press Conference on Thursday, 24th May, 2012 where the National Executive Committee (NEC) was disbanded and some principal National Officers suspended. Under the subsisting constitution of the Party, the elected state Chairmen are not NEC members and have no powers to sack the National officers!
But why would people, who are adept with the Party rules, do acts that are ultra vires and very ineffectual?
According to an organizer of the infamous Press conference, Muhammed elYakub (a lawyer from Nasarawa state), accommodation and feeding was provided for all the attendees on the day of the press conference. A princely sum of N100,OOO:00 was also given to each attendee.
The doyen of this destructive gang, who is known to be parsimonious, could not have been the source of funding for this latest aggression on CPC. A further check revealed that the funding was from the 'nest of killers' that is in charge of our common patrimony!
The 2011 elections and its portent ...
The ruling PDP, as in the previous elections in 2003 and 2007, had perfected its vice-grip on the electoral umpire. The 2011 general elections, according to Professor Okey Ndibe, "ensured the rolling out of new rigging Technologies./J
After the opposition Parties kicked against the Plan by the National Security Adviser to the President to prevent the electorate from waiting behind to witness
counting of the votes in the Polling Units scattered across the Land, the manipulation was shifted to collation centers in the Wards, Local Government Areas and States. Of course, while the International observers were shown the peaceful conduct in a few urban polling units, the fortune-changing electoral heist took place at the Collation centers.
The massive rigging of the elections, hinged on the unwillingness of the incumbent in accepting electoral defeat gracefully, has often prevented the Nigerian people from truly reaping the true dividends of the electoral process. The simple reason is that the people's choice had always been subordinated to the political leaders'. This is a litmus test of the immaturity of Nigeria's democratic practice. Away from the thuggish stance of a former Nigerian President, elections should never be a matter of 'do or die'. Election rigging, in itself, is an act of violence against a people, because it removes from them the sovereignty over the Nation state. It is for this reason that, as a Party, we advocate the harshest punitive measures against electoral offences.
Jonathan/s first year as an elected President.
Undoubtedly, the obscurantist style of the Jonathan administration has ensured disorder in the socio-economic well being of the Nigerian State.
Corruption and rapacity have become more endemic than any other time in the Nation's history.
Infrastructure and social services are in pitiable decay.
Economic management is charted towards precipitous direction. Nigerians' earning and buying power had greatly diminished. The preponderance of the people is still living in squalid condition.
Political governance is often geared towards fostering narrow, ethno-centric interests.
Insecurity remains a festering National malaise.
Food and shelter have become unavailable to the majority of the people.
The burgeoning army of unemployed youths attests to the government's reticence in alleviating youth restiveness within the Nation-space.
The increasing number of Nigerians studying in West African States attests to the degradation of the Education sector. A regime that is only interested in deluding the citizenry with empty election promises, rather than truthfully evincing admirable governance. New Universities that were promised are still unable to take off due to paucity of funds; whereas the older ones have not been adequately funded!
In summary, the first year of the Jonathan administration paints a sordid picture of suspension of governance in the polity.
THE IRREDUCIBLE MINIMUM STANDARD FOR FUTURE ELECTIONS.
Democracy is energized by elections, for without it, autocracy sets in. The maturity of any democracy is directly proportional to the quality of its elections. The closer the outcome of an electoral process to the will of the people, that is, the Electorate, the better it is for the polity.
It is, therefore, pre-eminently important that after four successive elections, the necessary learning curve should have been assured.
Unfortunately, the pattern under the 4th republic has shown that successive elections have been scandalously worse in severity of manipulations. This can no longer be acceptable!
This is why the CPC is calling on the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega to see the sacredness of elections for the survival of Nigeria's nascent Democracy. Without any scintilla of doubt, the Nigerian state cannot develop economically beyond the level of her political life, which is inexorably fuelled by transparent elections. The highest patriotic duty is for the people involved in organizing elections to improve on the unenviable
standard that had become prevalent in last 13 years. We need transparent and credible elections, going forward. That remains the irreducible minimum, as a matter of right, for the Nigerian people!
CONCLUSION.
As a party, we believe that a Nation cannot be greater than the quality of its citizenry.
As Eli Wiezel said, "There may be times we are powerless in preventing Injustice, but there must never be time that we fail to protest./J
We must continually make our demands known to those that carry our mandate. That is the truest test of our love for Fatherland.
CPC shall always remain true to its avowed commitment for nobility in Public Office.
God Bless CPC!
God Bless Nigeria!
Rotimi Fashakin (Engr.)
National Publicity Secretary, CPC
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