By Efe Onodjae
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Mr Peter Obi, has said Nigeria’s political parties lack ideology, adding that politicians accused of corruption appear to be absolved once they defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Obi dismissed suggestions that the endorsement of President Bola Tinubu by almost all the state governors would guarantee victory in the 2027 presidential election, saying governors do not necessarily represent the wishes of the people.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, he also accused the ruling party of destabilising opposition parties, saying the situation in the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and the NDC mirrors what happened in the Labour Party, LP.
He said: “36 governors support the president. The people in the states are not necessarily with them. It is one thing for a governor to support the president and another for the people to support him. The answer is no. What I am asking for is a free, fair and credible election, which will go down as part of his legacy.
“That is why I am begging the youths, whose lives and futures are at stake, to come out and join me in demanding free, fair and credible elections. It will go down as part of his legacy. He campaigned as a democrat. He has fought for democracy. This is the time to prove it.
“When Yar’Adua became president, he said, ‘The process through which I came into office is faulty, and I am going to ensure that it does not happen again, even if I have to lose.’ He did it.
“He demonstrated it through all his actions. All the subsequent elections after him were free, fair and credible. I contested for a second term then, and nothing happened. That was why people like me, Oshiomhole and others were able to win second terms.
“For me, there is no political party in Nigeria today that has an ideology. There is none. Otherwise, the ideology of the APC would be that if you are corrupt and you move to the APC, you are no longer corrupt.
“What Nigerians need is competency, capacity, compassion, character and commitment. Wherever I find myself, I will continue to preach change. Those things you are talking about will come if you have good people in office. Part of the problem is that those in government have refused to allow stability in the political space.
“I will support the opposition. I will encourage the opposition. I will ensure that opposition parties function as effectively as parties in government.
“The president said it, and it is happening. When opposition parties are having problems, that is his wish. Because of it, they are destroying the judiciary.
“So if I am president today, most of the things you see in our politics will not happen. I will encourage strong opposition parties to emerge. I will ensure that the restrictions we see today, where even the regulator interferes in party affairs, are removed.
“The regulator’s job should be strictly to conduct free, fair and credible elections. Political parties should be free to choose their candidates and decide who they want to present for election.
“How many parties have I joined? I left the PDP when things were no longer being done according to the rules. I went to the Labour Party. They put fire in it and wanted me to stay there and get burnt. I moved to the NDC. Since I went there, they have carried the same fire there.
“What is happening in the ADC, the NDC and what happened in the Labour Party will never happen if I am president of Nigeria. Anybody who tries to do that, even through the judiciary by giving all sorts of rulings, will face the consequences. We must build institutions, and those institutions must allow for fairness.”
