Issues arising from all-politicians summit

LEON USIGBE of 'NIGERIA TRIBUNE' reports on last week’s meeting of leaders of political parties in the country, who came together to explore ways to deal with rising tension as the 2015 elections approach. THE heart of the nation has been pounding, constantly accelerated beyond normal by politicians whose sole aim is to retain or capture power in next year’s elections. Tempers have been rising and politicians of all shades and opinion have continue to come out blazing with their verbal swords not minding the consequences of their negative utterances on the nation’s psyche at a time it is struggling to contain monumental security challenges previously unknown in its history. The people in power want to retain their priced possession, whereas the opposition are desperate to tear it way from them. Yet, the struggle for power is the essence of politics, in recent times in Nigeria, the struggle has gone beyond mere manipulation or intrigues to keep or wrest control but has descended to sheer mischief, deceit and even outright incitement to rebellion. As the 2015 elections loom, the alarm bells are tolling and in order to apply the brakes in the race into an apparent armageddon, political parties got themselves together in Abuja last week for a moment of critical self re-examination. They met under the auspices of the All-Political Parties Summit put together by the Special Adviser to the President on Inter-Party Affairs, Senator Ben Obi, to discuss the theme, Inter-Party Collaboration/National Stability and Democratic Consolidation. President Goodluck Jonathan was there, leading other chieftains of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including its national chairman, Dr Adamu Muazu, members of its National Working Committee (NWC), ministers, other senior officials of government and representatives of other political parties, notably Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC). Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who midwifed the current democratic dispensation, was there as the chairman of the occasion. Also there to add their considerable clouts were former number two citizens of the country, Dr. Alex Ekwueme and Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe; as well as Governors Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Isa Yuguda (Bauchi), Ramallan Yero (Kaduna), Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Willie Obiano (Anambra); Chief Tony Anenih, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, Chief Tom Ikimi, Professor Attahiru Jega, Mr. Peter Obi, Chief Segun Osoba, Chief Bode George, Professor ABC Nwosu, Alhjai Attahiru Bafarawa and Senator Adolphus Wabara. The eminent persons also included Prince Abubakar Audu, Mr. Donald Duke, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), Dr. Ahmadu Ali, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Service Chiefs, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Muhammed Abubakar; Chief Lucky Igbinedion, Chief Arthur Eze, Ambassador Jerry Ugwoke, Chief Obinna Uzor. among others. They came to contribute to the discussions on ways politicians could be more temperate in their words and in their actions in order not to send the wrong signal to their supporters in the run up to the 2015 elections. President Jonathan was unable to hold back his fears for the elections should politicians continue to beat the drums of war with their mouths or engage in subtle manipulations of naive supporters with the intention to truncate the exercise. Addressing the audience, he spoke of the existence undemocratic forces in the country, who often exploited the weakness in the system to perpetrate their evil desires but emphasized the need for citizens to resist them. “There are still very remorseless anti-democratic forces operating in the political system, ever ready to exploit lapses in the management of our political and electoral processes. Some of these forces may indeed during the forthcoming elections, as their lifestyle, truncate the nation’s hard won democratic liberty. But dear compatriots, with respect to the 2015 elections in particular and our journey as a nation in general, we must never allow these negative forces to prevail,” he said. The President was full of regrets to note that the current national political outlook with regards to inter-party collaboration was less than salutary and indeed, the conduct and utterances of leading politicians at home and abroad were rapidly creating and spreading unnecessary tension in the country. “Such unguarded utterances on their part fester the embers of discord, bitterness and rancour. Such unfortunate development play into the hands of extremist elements waging a vicious campaign of terror against the state,” Jonathan observed with an admonition that the current insurgency in the country was better addressed by a political class united in its commitment to defend the polity irrespective of political differences. Jonathan’s chief opponent in the 2011 presidential election, Buhari, appeared more concerned about the mistakes that might have been made in past elections rather than moderating the utterances or actions of present day politicians. He believes that “those thugs-related days” were caused by mistakes which must never be repeated. Even though he stressed the need not to apportion blame, he however maintained that the whole country had lost something as a result. He thought governments from 1999 had neglected to adhere to the Constitution in running the affairs of the country and he particularly cited the illnesses of late former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State as examples without necessarily expatiating. “Our task now is for all political parties to come together and resolve to work for free and fair elections. This will be possible if the INEC is properly funded and made truly independent by infusing fresh hands, law enforcement agencies becoming neutral and not be agents of government of the day and the governing party; the Judiciary advances its true role as independent and impartial in its conduct during electoral litigation,” Buhari maintained. But, the PDP national chairman did not fail to highlight the attitude of the APC governors of Kano and Ekiti states, who he alleged were heightening tension in the country by going to venues of the PDP rallies afterwards to “sweep” away their feet. Muazu wondered, “How can a governor be sweeping? Is he a woman?” He also alleged that the opposition had hijacked the “BringBackOurGirls” campaign to rescue the abducted Chibok girls, which he had identified with in the beginning only to realise that it is a platform to oppose government. “I started hearing, it is the fault of this, it is the fault of the President, it is the fault of the federal government,” he observed, adding: “I never knew that because President Goodluck Jonathan has the misfortune of leading Nigeria, he was supposed to be the chief maiguard in Chibok Secondary School when it is not even owned by the Federal Government.” The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Jega, agreed with Jonathan on the implications of lack of moderation by politicians on national stability and democratic consolidation. He expressed worries about this widespread absence of moderation among politicians because “even if the management of elections meets the highest standards, insofar as the contestants are unwilling to play by the rules, there will always be grave implications. The use of language is, in most cases, indecorous, which leads supporters to follow suit with more intemperate language and ultimately end up in violence.” Other people, who spoke at the summit, were former President Shehu Shagari, who was represented; General Abubakar; National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Dasuki; former Anambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi, who spoke on behalf of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA); APC Woman Leader, Sharon Ikeazor, who spoke for the party; chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Yunusa Tanko; national secretary of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), Willie Ezeugo, among others. At the end of the summit, the participants implored the leaderships of political parties in the country to work toward fostering the unity of the country, contending that political parties and stakeholders must act and speak with one voice and as one nation. While they noted that “once a person is elected and sworn in as president, he or she becomes the symbol, heart and soul of the nation” and that “he or she must therefore be accorded the honour, the protection and respect of all devoid of partisan politics and primordial sentiments,” the participants also urged the political parties to pool resources to forestall breaching national security, fight insurgency and terrorism and complementing the efforts of the government.