Nigeria: Group accuses parties of subverting democracy

AHEAD of the 2011 elections, a civil society group in the Niger Delta, Grassroots Initiative for Peace and Democracy (GIPD) has accused political parties in Nigeria of subverting the growth of democracy at the grassroots level of the country.

The group alleged that none of the political parties in the country including the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the supposedly opposition parties like the Action Congress (AC) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) was making a determined effort to strengthen democracy in the country in order not to allow ''undemocratic forces'' any chance to again foist dictatorship on the country like in the 1999-2007 years.

The Executive Director of the group, Mr. Akinaka Richard, who was speaking in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, yesterday said there cannot be development and stability in the country if the political parties failed to deepen democracy.

''Development and stability of Nigeria depend on democracy'', the group said and accordingly urged all the political parties and citizens to work for sustainable democracy in the country.

''The ultimate goal of democracy is to ensure the dignity and fundamental rights of individuals to achieve social justice and development'', they said, adding, ''the peoples of the Niger Delta at the grassroots are eager to demonstrate that they like democracy and that they are a peace-loving people''.

Mr. Richard whose group currently focuses on grassroots political education, said it was unfortunate that virtually all the political parties were yet to move ahead with a resolve not to allow anyone impose another era of dictatorship in the country like what was witnessed in the PDP during the Olusegun Obasanjo administration.

According to him, ''we had expected that by now the President Umaru Yar'Adua administration would have done much in the areas of strengthening institutions, eliminating extremism and militancy, ensuring transparency and good governance and economic reforms''.

Continuing, the group said, ''the ordinary people of the Niger Delta want the oil and gas region to be turned into a true democratic, progressive, and welfare region''