Posted by By Tessy Okoye on
Former leader of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Edo State governorship candidate of the Action Congress (AC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has described former President Olusegun Obasanjo as a disgrace to Nigeria's democracy.
Former leader of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Edo State governorship candidate of the Action Congress (AC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has described former President Olusegun Obasanjo as a disgrace to Nigeria's democracy.
The former labour leader said Obasanjo had, through his recent endorsement of the strongman of Ibadan politics, Chief Lamidi Adedibu as the father of the ruling PDP, taken the nation's democracy back to the dark days of dirty politics.
He said: ' That proclamation of Adedibu as the father of PDP by Obasanjo has confirmed that he put our democratic project on a reverse gear. It is also clear that he is more comfortable with people who are not in a position to engage him intellectually. I'm sure every Nigerian holds him responsible for turning the country, especially Oyo State, to a state run by some outlaws. That is a shame to him and a problem for the country. But I think President Umar Musa Yar'Adua appreciates that he cannot give Adedibu, or any of his like the kind of state backing Obasanjo gave them."
Oshiomhole, who also berated the Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro, on the role he played in Adedibu's recent arrest, noted that the IG unnecessarily gave Adedibu the status of a statesman, a position he said he does not fit into.
The labour leader said: ' The Inspector General of Police unnecessarily elevated Chief Adedibu by arresting and interrogating him. He should have allowed the old man to be picked up, questioned and charged to court by a local DPO in the state on the basis of the murder cases still pending in Oyo State. Many people have been killed, and no one has been charged to court for it. And to pick Adedibu up, giving him the status of a statesman was wrong.
' He is a local player in Ibadan, not a national player. The Inspector General of Police is not an investigating police officer (IPO) to have interrogated him. I did not agree with the police boss' judgment on that case, even though for whatever it is worth, some people might say that his arrest was enough for him to realise nobody was above the law. The fact that he was given that treatment suggests that the state is according undue recognition to people who should really be dealt with according to the law."
The AC candidate also described the present leadership of the House of Representatives as efficient and having the capability to chart a right course for the country, as the leadership was not imposed on the House.
' It is clear that the House of Representatives is in a better hand. They have a leadership that is clear, well grounded, knowledgeable and capable of appreciating complex matters of state. The present speaker was not imposed on them. And since he is one of them, the kind of collaboration and co-operation they expect in a democracy, in a house as large as that would prevail. This particular leadership, unlike the other one that was imposed, has the intellectual capacity to appreciate challenges of the house," he said.
Joining the Senate to fault Obasanjo's unilateral ceding of Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon, the ex-labour leader registered his displeasure over the Senate's inability to perform their constitutional duty of putting the former president in check.
' At the time the decision to cede Bakassi to Cameroon was taken by Obasanjo, NLC made its stance against the action clear. The past president was wrong in taking that action. The Senate is right to say that Obasanjo cannot subject Nigeria to fait accompli. My worry is that the leadership of the Senate was there at the time the decision was taken.
I don't recall any sizeable voice from them rising against Obasanjo's decision. I am not sure of the implication of them withholding their assent to the ceding, but I think it is right for them to make the point that such matter, that it's not at the discretion of the president, and that it must be rectified by the National Assembly. What they are trying to say is that, that territory remains part of Nigeria. And am sure many Nigerians would vote on that side."
Speaking on the state of the nation, the labour leader said he believes strongly in the nation's survival, only if Nigerians would rise from the pit of self regret and blame shifting to engage their leaders in meaningful dialogue that would move the nation forward.
' I think there is hope for Nigeria as long as we realise that nothing would change on its own. No nation can change when its citizens lament failure of leadership, corruption in high places or abuse of office. It can only change when citizens make up their minds to engage their leaders, and insist that their leaders must govern on the basis of what is good for the greatest number. We have a very active citizenry, not one that grudges in the bedroom and kitchen. If Nigerians adopt a passive attitude, then our leaders would continue to have a field day. I look forward to the day most Nigerians would realise that the country belongs to the people, and that the leaders are stewards that would come and go. But the people would remain forever," he said.