Date Published: 01/03/10

DEMOCRATIC ALTERNATIVE CALLS FOR REGULARISATION OF CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT BY THE PDP

30 December 2009

The Democratic Alternative considers it necessary to make this public statement as a follow up to the press release of 23 December 2009 in respect of the avoidable constitutional jam and confusion into which the PDP government is pushing the country.

The right wing politicians are unable to operate in a political environment that is not built with the sandy blocks of parochialism. They have entrapped the country in the anti development posture of sectional politics since 1950. Parochialism is the obstacle to political and economic development in Nigeria. On parochialism, the right wing politicians have erected corruption. The roles of president and vice president are being seen by these power brokers as an inter regional allocation. They think only in terms of tribe, zone, region, north, south etc. They confuse the norms of parochialism that guide their co existence in their own political parties with the provisions of the Constitution that is the ground norm for Nigeria. They even descend to the level of personal preferences in conducting the affairs of the country. Hence, they move the country from one crisis to another. The story of Nigeria from 1950 to date has been one long trek on a crisis ridden trajectory. It is a new crisis that normally ends an existing crisis.

Indeed, the inability of a simple temporary transfer of constitutional authority from a PDP president to a PDP vice president when it is obvious to all of its absolute necessity underlines our conjecture that they do not and cannot function as belonging to the same political party. The group has no party programme for the development of Nigeria. The only bedrock of concordance in their political parties is the utilisation of the party platform as a route by each of them to access power and the national treasury. With this calibre of people at the helm of our affairs, it is no wonder that economic development has not been the lot of this country. With a country rich in human and natural resources, more and more of our people are being sucked into the abyss of irreversible poverty.

We repeat our published call that President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua sign a simple letter informing the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives that he is away from the country to seek medical care. Certainly, he is not on a working visit to Saudi Arabia. The legislators, like billions of people across the entire world know very well that the president is ill in hospital  and receiving treatment in Saudi Arabia. Why do they need to try to hide the head of a big turkey in some little heap of sand? Whenever he recovers, he will send another short letter to the heads of the legislative houses that he is back to resume work. Whilst he is away, the Vice president acts for him to relinquish the acting job when the president is back. If he can sign the budget in Saudi Arabia, he certainly can sign the letter to the legislative heads immediately and put the country back on the track of constitutional government.

The Democratic Alternative will take this opportunity to comment that all insinuations being made in respect of military coups either as a solution or not are irresponsible and absolutely uncalled for. Coup making is a criminal act. It is treason. The perpetrators of the serial coups that ruined this nation over thirty nine years may yet have to account for their crimes. Whenever a truly democratic government is installed in this country, those who disrupted the Constitution and desecrated governments may yet be called upon to account for their deeds.

Besides, the serial dictatorships that were imposed on this country did not bring any good to the people. They destroyed progress and bred an army of young people who have no concept of order and allegiance to constituted authority. They bred chaos. They destroyed the social order.

The DA is of the strong view that the dramatis personae of the PDP who are playing silly games within the concept of parochial politics should tread the path of constitutional process and let the country pay attention to more serious issues.

For Democracy and Liberation

Dr Abayomi Ferreira

President, Democratic Alternative

www.democraticalternativeng. org