Buhari right on war against corruption, but wrong in execution —Okupe

A former Special Assistant to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo on Media and Publicity, Doyin Okupe, has backed President Mohammadu Buhari’s push in his fight against corruption.

He however said that he (Buhari) is wrong in the execution of the war against the menace.

The politician who shared his views on Monday on his official Facebook account said that corruption was the reason for the recent defection of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers to the All Progressives Congress (APC) after the PDP government in Imo State was sacked by the Supreme Court.

According to Okupe, what happened in Imo will likely happen in majority of the states of the federation, as he was not surprised at the gale of defections of PDP lawmakers in Imo to the APC.

The ex-presidential aide pointed out that the reality of Nigeria’s political situation is that only “very few real politicians remain in the political space.”

He said that people shop around for political platforms which will sell party tickets to them to be elected into political offices from where, as businessmen and women, according to him, “they can do their trade and make huge returns.”

Okupe said, “All parties in Nigeria without exception are actively engaged in this new business. It also involves all levels of competition. ”

He also insisted that from presidential candidates to councilors, adding that it also involves the majority of the electorates, electoral and security officials, describing the situation as “a national craze.”

Okupe, a former Special Assistant to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo on Media and Publicity, described what happened in Imo as political corruption, adding such a situation will likely happen in the majority of the states of the federation.

He said, “It is endemic, it is pervasive and it is generally accepted across the board as normal, though, like the issue of policemen collecting tolls from commercial drivers, we all pretend it does not exist.

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“Buhari was right on corruption, but wrong in the execution of the war against it. Transparency international was also right about our falling rating of corruption perception index.

“Those who accuse others of corruption in Nigeria are themselves corruption personified. Those who pursue corrupt people are themselves corrupt. The citizens who clap when corrupt officials are nabbed are themselves embroiled in corrupt activities.

“They bribe their ways to get all things done. They also receive bribes before they can do anything for anybody. They collect huge sums of money before they can vote for any candidate. They care less often, about who wins.

“People or electorates in every state collect N6B N7B N10B from gubernatorial candidates before giving’ massive’ support and victory is to the highest bidder.

“We are all liars, pretenders, and hypocrites. We have accepted money as the common social denominator. Even our religious institutions are not spared. Church leaders received bribes to promote church workers or post pastors to lucrative churches.

“Mosques are not different. We are not at the end yet but very close to it. Our politics like every other facet of our collective social endeavors have been completely destroyed.

“We all need to come together on a nonpartisan, non-ethnic and nonreligious basis. Humbly accept where we truly are, and collectively take a bold decision to draw the line, retrace our steps and rearrange the operating machinery of this country. Kenya did it a few years ago and they are better for it.

“Rwanda also did a similar thing and today it’s all a different story. How many more of our people need to continue in this perilous state because we are all deeply entrenched in activities that benefit us individually but collectively destroys our country, its manifest destiny and the future of its children.”

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