Posted by By Emeka Mamah on
NATIONAL Chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, Alhaji Balarabe Musa says that the opposition parties in the counrty draw some measure of strenght from the current crisis between the President and the vice president.
KADUNA - NATIONAL Chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, Alhaji Balarabe Musa says that the opposition parties in the counrty draw some measure of strenght from the current crisis between the President and the vice president.
He told newsmen at the weekend that the opposition has a lot to gain from the current quarrel between President Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice President, saying that Nigerians are not capable of stopping the president's third term bid.
Speaking in an interview, the former Kaduna state governor said that though the disagreement between the two leaders can be considered as "the internal matter of the PDP", Nigerians cannot afford to fold their hands and feel unconcerned about it because "we have a lot to gain from it as opposition".
According to him, "we regard it as the internal problem of the PDP. At the same time we are also enlightened opposition and naturally, we enjoy these things happening in the camp of our opponents, particularly when we do not regard the PDP as a political party.
"Their weakness has implication for our strength. But generally as Nigerians, who are interested in the stability of the country, we can put aside this idea of it being their internal problem and therefore does not concern us.
"They control the presidency and under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the president is the Chief Executive controlling the lives of the people of Nigeria. Whatever happens has direct implication for the country.
"For example, if this quarrel between the president and the vice president lead to the worst, Nigeria could find itself facing even a civil war. So, we are concerned about what is happening. We cannot do anything about it except distance ourselves from government and the participants in this crisis. We know the reason which is their own interests. The interest of the president and the vice president are now in conflict. "The president wants a third term and the vice president does not want him to have a third term because he also wants to be president since he has been given the impression even by the constitution that he is the next in line. If things go normally and PDP contests the next election, what he expects is that after Obasanjo has had two terms, PDP would replace Obasanjo as the presidential candidate with him.
"So he has this natural expectation which is in conflict with that of Obasanjo who wants to continue. So, we have a situation whereby the president sees his vice as the most formidable opponent in his pursuit of a third term and therefore has to crush the vice president by any means.
"That is why he couldn't be civil and polite by avoiding to expose their conflict".