Date Published: 05/06/10

Press Release.

Lagos AC Mourns Yar’Adua.

The Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress has joined other Nigerians to mourn the death of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. The party describes his death as a sad loss to the nation which had experienced his stabilizing influence on Nigerian governance for the little period his ear lasted. It therefore prayed God to rest his soul in peace.

In a release in Lagos, signed by the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the AC, Joe Igbokwe, Lagos AC said that despite the flawed and crooked nature of his emergence, the late president left no one in doubt that he wanted to leave a legacy of honesty and integrity as his era lasted. It said that the nation stands to lose at the death of such a man of peace and meek disposition who did his best to take back governance to the people.

“We acknowledge the fact that Yar’Adua emerged under a very despicable and flawed process that still leaves sore tastes in the mouth of Nigerians but he did his best to improve on the process as his reign lasted. We acknowledge that Yar’Adua tried his possible best to lift up the state of doldrums he met the Nigerian state. He did his best even when we acknowledge that his best was not enough to restart Nigeria from the rot that has been levied on it especially in the period from 1999 till he took over.

“Yar’Adua was committed to good governance, electoral reform, settling the Niger Delta quagmire, rule of law and electoral reform and tried to initiate moves to bring these about. He did his possible best to promote these ideals and initiatives even as he was faced with health challenges from which he never recovered. We know that it was Yar’Adua’s belief in these ideals that made it possible for his presidency to work with the judicial decisions on such states as Anambra, Edo, Ondo, which was a radical departure from the ways of his predecessor, whose regime was fond of treating judicial decisions with derision and contempt.

“Yar’Adua was a believer in due process in the conduct of the affairs of state and ensured that the political temperature that was reaching a boiling point when he came in. he acknowledged the monumental electoral fraud that saw him to power and promised to do something about it. This was a radical departure from the posture of his predecessor who oversaw that huge electoral larceny and who stuck to the belief that such fraud truly represents the face of our electoral system. He went further to empanel the Mohammed Uwais Electoral Reform Panel and even as he removed some key recommendations of the panel, he had initiated moves to have them adopted as working instruments in future elections when he was overwhelmed with ill health.

“Yar’Adua lived a simple and honest life and this was shorn of the ostentation and vanity that have been brought to defame governance and power in Nigeria. He brought simplicity to governance in Nigeria and never elevated himself above the country as his short reign lasted.  Lagos AC sees his loss as a great loss to the country and prays God to grant his humble soul a deserved rest.”

Joe Igbokwe,

Publicity Secretary,

Lagos AC.