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2019: Atiku continues to show resentment, knocks APC over internal democracy

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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and other political parties of building democracy on a substructure of dictatorship and intolerance.

Atiku who was vice president on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but presently a leader in APC, appears to always be on a different page with his party, warranting speculations he may soon dump the party to further his widely believed political aspiration of becoming president.

Only recently, his Adamawa State chapter of the PDP, vowed it will never rest from wooing the former presidential aspirant and candidate, who it said is being underutilized by APC, from returning to his former party.

According to Atiku, there is a total lack of internal democracy among the nation’s political parties especially the APC and PDP.

He lamented a situation where the ruling APC, PDP, and other political parties in the nation have over the years refused to hold meetings of their important organs as well as those meant for the selection of the leadership of the parties.

Atiku made these observations when he spoke at the 2nd annual conference of the Inter – party Advisory Council, with the theme, “Inter Party Democracy: A Recipe for Sustainable Democracy in Nigeria”, in Abuja on Tuesday.

“In my view, there is a close relationship between democracy within political parties and democracy within the nation. Put simply, you cannot give what you don’t have. You cannot build democracy on a substructure of dictatorship and intolerance. A political party that constricts the freedom of its members cannot really offer freedom to the citizens of the nation. Democracy is not just an idea; it is a cultural practice.

“For a number of years now, we have had political parties, even governing ones, which hardly hold meetings of their important organs, including those meant for the democratic selection of their leadership, or even constitute institutions prescribed in their constitution.

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“In the absence of those meetings and elections, their existing leadership, often under the direction of the executive at the state or federal level, fills the void. That’s not party building but party bullying. And it’s certainly not a way to democratise parties and aggregate their members’ opinions, interests and aspirations.

“This means that efforts to deepen Nigeria’s democracy must include efforts at democratising our political parties. The institutionalisation of democracy in our internal party processes will help us deepen democracy in Nigeria. Leaders are more likely to tolerate opposition from citizens and other parties if they tolerate it within their own party,” Atiku said.

The former vice president further blamed the absence of internal democracy in political parties for being responsible for clashes between parties and their elected representatives as well as the legislature and the executive.

 

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0 Comments

  1. Animashaun Ayodeji

    August 2, 2017 at 10:05 am

    Atiku is a failure and he will never succeed with the way he’s doing, how can you be a leader of a political party and be criticizing the party publicly, if you see what you don’t like about the party, address it internally before going public. Moreover, for him to belong in APC, he also believes in building democracy on a substructure of dictatorship and intolerance.

  2. Abeni Adebisi

    August 2, 2017 at 10:09 am

    What will be best for Atiku is to go and start his own political party and stop boring us about how proper democracy should be. Since he understands everything about democracy more than everyone in Nigeria, he should start a party to see how easy it is going to be to apply his own type of democracy to make a change in Nigerua

  3. Anita Kingsley

    August 2, 2017 at 10:11 am

    Atiku is only desperate for power, we Biafrans know his style already. By the time democracy failed him again in 2019, he’ll join the military to lead coup d’tat so he can become the president. Useless man

  4. seyi jelili

    August 2, 2017 at 3:48 pm

    Apc will soon suspend this nonsense who goes about excoriating apc government all because of his own selfish ambition

    • yanju omotodun

      August 2, 2017 at 9:47 pm

      Atiku is frustrated that with all is money and influence, he couldn’t break the circle of presidency. Atiku is a man of no political party

  5. Ukazu Timothy

    August 3, 2017 at 11:31 am

    Atiku is saying the truth. is either you take the message and leave the messenger. we should stop being myopic in our reasoning. we should all speak out in this nonsense that our politicians and doing. If we need Nigeria to work the way we want, we should always stand by the truth at all times.

  6. Ukazu Timothy

    August 3, 2017 at 11:31 am

    Atiku is saying the truth. is either you take the message and leave the messenger. we should stop being myopic in our reasoning. we should all speak out in this nonsense that our politicians and doing. If we need Nigeria to work the way we want, we should always stand by the truth at all times.

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