Date Published: 07/21/09
PRESS STATEMENT July 20, 2009
AC FACTION UNDERMINES STRONG OPPOSITION
The attention of the Mega Summit Movement has been drawn to a publication purportedly issued by the Action Congress dissociating itself from the ongoing national consultation to establish a truly ideological and formidable rainbow coalition/mega party to save the current democratic experiment in Nigeria from sliding into full civilian autocracy.
Mega Summit Movement, MSM wishes to advise the Action Congress to urgently put its house in order rather than creating a mockery of its leadership before the discerning public, who today are well aware of the sorry state of the AC given the opportunism and vulnerability of a section of its leadership to state security agenda due to past shady deals of some of its financiers.
May we also educate these factional leaders of the AC that the ongoing mega process is, among others, being implemented as an omnibus that aspires to proactively struggle for popular electoral reform through the MSM private member’s bill already being prepared for the national assembly and a platform for a of series of inclusive mass action and strategic international diplomacy that can force government to comport itself in a responsive manner.
Again, there is no basis for the duplication of the ongoing process and platform for strong opposition as being plotted by a faction of AC in form of another hatchet contraption called Coalition for Democratic Electoral Reform, CODER, which is also in the mode of another sinister organization called Yar’ Adua for New Nigeria anchored by the PDP wing of the divide to undermine the unity and potency of credible opposition forces trying to redeem democracy.
We however wish to reiterate that unlike past effort of forming mega parties in Nigeria the MSM initiative is purely revolutionary. For the avoidance of doubt, the MSM only intends to deal with credible leaders with long antecedent of integrity and not those who are currently under the surveillance and instructions of the Yar’ Adua crack team; posturing as progressives only for the sole purpose of doing Yar’ Adua’s hatch job and their lackeys desperate for economic rehabilitation. The concept of the mega party initiative is not about the existing political parties but integrity driven.
The reality is that no real political party exists today in Nigeria as internal democracy and popular control are nonexistent in most of the so called big parties in the country. The problem of the opposition has further been compounded by the hijack of political parties by money bags without any recourse to party supremacy and ideology and it is clear from every scientific analysis that no single party today in Nigeria can effectively challenge the octopus called PDP with a legendary capacity to manipulate even if the electoral system is reformed today as Nigerians have lost faith in most of the crop of political emergent contractors and overnight billionaire who daily amass our common wealth through the platform of governance
MSM therefore states that the new rainbow coalition plans to first and foremost, enlist credible and committed leaders either within political parties or any other platforms. However it will also not close its doors to any political party which may wish to dissolve wholly into the proposed mega party/rainbow coalition.
MSM will also like to advise the faction of AC, to close ranks with its estranged leaders in Afenifere rather than plotting to subvert a popular process on the altar of petty squabbles for Yoruba leadership.
Signed
Alhaji Hamisu San Turaki
MEDIA & PUBLICITY DIRECTOR
MSM
