PDP hindering growth of democracy in Nigeria – ACN

IBADAN—Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, yesterday accused the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, of hindering the growth of democracy in Nigeria.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party accused the PDP of anti-democratic antics, election manipulation, lack of respect for the rule of law and disregard for the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, just to mention a few.

The statement read: ‘’Mr. President, the reason Nigeria’s democracy has survived thus far is not the robustness of the PDP, as you have  said, but the determination and courage of the good people of Nigeria, who have resolved to say ‘never again’ to  anti-democratic forces, as well as the robust opposition mounted by a few progressive forces.

“Were it left for the PDP, this democracy as we know it would have become history. This is the party that has weakened all the institutions that are indispensable to building a virile democracy, from the judiciary to the legislature.

This is the party that has sought to emasculate the opposition by infiltrating their ranks and coercing them into a fake unity government. This is the party that does not believe in one man, one vote, but will rather engage in do-or-die politics to win at all cost.

The PDP is the party that has frittered away the commonwealth since 1999 and failed woefully to deliver the dividends of democracy, thus shaking the belief of an increasing number of our citizens in democracy as a system of governance,” the statement added.

ACN argued that the PDP had been subjected to intense criticism by Nigerians, not just the opposition, “is that the party (PDP) has failed to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people in terms of good governance, provision of visionary leadership as well as the basic social amenities that make life more abundant and meaningful. Simply put, the quality-of-life initiative of the PDP is zero.

“Mr. President, it is not the opposition alone that is complaining. The people are fed up with the PDP governments at all levels, and what happened in Edo last weekend is the clearest indication yet that the PDP, with all its so-called spread, access to limitless funds and control of the state instrument of coercion, is fast receding into irrelevance.’’

It also described as an unnecessary distraction the plan to bring ministers and other key government officials to brief the NEC  of the PDP as a way of informing the people of what the party had done, saying ‘’The truth is that the PDP has done nothing to justify its strangle-hold on power at the centre since 1999. “