President Muhammadu Buhari’s supporters under the aegis of Buhari Support Organisation (BSO) on Sunday appealed to Nigerians to stop distracting the President from laying the solid foundation for physical and social infrastructural development in Nigeria.
The warning was contained in a statement by its Enugu State Publicity Secretary, Eze Chibueze.
According to Eze, “our analysis, without being immodest wishes to point out two groups of Nigerians who clandestinely pose as patriots, while wittingly or unwittingly their core objectives are meant to distract President Buhari.”
The statement noted that: “One is the group who has canonized the 2014 Jonathan Constitutional Conference as a sacred document, to them adoption of which is the only solution to the myriads of problem of abject poverty, gross unemployment, inadequate electricity supply and lack of democracy at State and local government council tiers of government in Nigeria.
“For this pseudo patriots, it doesn’t matter that in all the 36 states of the federation that what we have as parliaments are Rubber-Stamp Houses of Assembly. Houses of Assembly which doesn’t perform oversight functions nor checks and balances. Secondly, that no State Independent Electoral Commission ever conducted free, fair and transparent election since 1999, even approximate to Professor Maurice Izu’s INEC.
“And thirdly, to worsen matters there is no anti-graft agency, to carry out long forgotten oversight functions nor wage strident war against corruption. Yet they clamour for more powers to be devolved, what a paradox?
“The second group are those who canvas for or against automatic ticket for Mr President. We are appealing for both to give Mr President a break.
“We are making this candid appeal taking into cognizance, Section 20 of the Constitution of our great party, which provides interalia:
“All Party posts prescribed or implied by this Constitution shall be filled by democratically conducted elections at the respective National Convention or Congress subject, where possible, to consensus. Provided that where a Candidate has emerged by consensus for an elective position, a vote of “Yes” or “No” by ballot or vote shall be called, to ensure that it was not an imposition which could breed discontent and crisis.
“It is our considered opinion that with this unambiguous provision of the Constitution of our great party, the issue of automatic ticket for Mr President, which is gaining traction in the public domain is more or less a distraction. More so, when Mr President in our analysis going by the solid foundation he is laying, could easily garner Consensus among our party faithfuls. And going by the tradition of US presidential system, Obama, Bush, Clinton and Reagan to mention a few were not subjected to gruesome primary.
“Accordingly, it then behoves on APC leadership, membership and Nigerians in general to join Mr President in filling the huge infrastructure deficit in Nigeria. A huge infrastructure deficit which makes the generation of employment, the alleviation of poverty, industrialization and growth of democracy in our dear country almost impossible.”