Nigeria Daily News: CNPP rejects NOA’s proposed summiton  leadership, others

CNPP rejects NOA’s proposed summiton  leadership, others
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Staff on 10/10/2012 20:00:00


OPPOSITION leaders under the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP)
have rejected the summit called by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to
redress the nation’s leadership problems, insecurity and the evolving
challenges of democracy in Nigeria.
The CNPP said on Tuesday that it has warned its members of the dangers of
participating in the two-day political parties’ summit.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Alhaji Balarabe Musa and Secretary
General, Chief Willy Ezegwu, it urged the Director General of NOA, Mr. Mike
Omeri, “to stay within his brief and back down from his ongoing attempts to
ignite a crisis among political parties through a phony summit purportedly being
put together by his agency at his behest.”
CNPP pointed out that it has informed its member political parties on the
expediency of staying away from the ‘Two-day Political Parties Summit on
Political Leadership, Security and Evolving Challenges of Democracy in
Nigeria,’ saying it “is an attempt to compromise parties’ leaders ahead of
the 2015 general elections.”
Musa stated that “Omeri exposed his true agenda and intention to cause
mischief when he summoned the so-called summit without first consulting the
leadership of the political parties before arriving at the form, content and
substance of the meeting.”
According to him, “before his compensatory position as DG of NOA, we all knew
Omeri was an arrow head in the Goodluck Jonathan campaign organisation prior to
his removal for unbecoming behaviour.”
“Even the position he holds at NOA is held in trust for the PDP, so we are
wary of this his surreptitious invitation to the leadership of political parties
to a summit at which they can be compromised or induced. We have seen it happen
before when leaders of political parties were tricked into endorsing Jonathan
for the 2011 elections.”
Musa added: “As humans with conscience, it is callous for NOA and Omeri to be
talking of a political parties’ summit at a time that citizens are wallowing
in pains from floods, extra-judicial killings and Boko Haram related
violence.”
The resources of NOA and any discerning agency or individual for that matter,
should at this time be aimed at addressing the humanitarian crisis facing
different parts of the country where citizens are in refugee and relief camps.
“Omeri’s invitation to political leaders also covertly indicted the
opposition of being behind political violence in the land without admitting the
role played by his party, the PDP in the travesty that is usually the precursor
to election related violence.
NOA and its leadership are apparently playing the ostrich when they said in the
invitation that the recruitment of youths as thugs or militants by some
politicians to intimidate and harass supporters of political opponents is
against mentoring the youth for leadership and responsibility since they should
have simply gathered the leadership of political parties and tell them the
truth.”
CNPP further queried NOA’s rationale of trying “to pass off the so-called
summit as a serious business when its invitation clearly confirmed it as a
jamboree that would have participants, who make the mistake of taking part,
spend one day for arrival, one day for the summit and one day touring
development projects in the state.”
“NOA and its leadership should be bold to own up to any contract it entered
into with the Imo State government to run a PR campaign of showcasing its
projects.”