- Former president Obasanjo has advised the ADC to learn from the mistakes affecting APC, PDP and other major parties in Nigeria
- He highlighted four main problems (image, discipline, commitment and leadership) he believed major parties are now facing and advised the ADC to avoid them
- The former president, however, insisted that he is not a member of the ADC
Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has urged the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to avoid the same political mistakes that have affected the smooth running of major political parties in Nigeria.
Vanguard reports that the former president said all the major parties in Nigeria have image, discipline commitment and leadership deficit.
NAIJ.com gathered that Obasanjo who gave the charge when he received the National Working Committee of the ADC, led by the chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu, in Abeokuta, Ogun state, said in such a short period, the party had become a force to reckon with in Nigeria’s politics.
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He said: “Be prudent as a party, and uphold its uniqueness of being members’ driven party, where its members are the financiers and not a few moneybags.”
Obasanjo explained that being prudent would help in preventing the party from toeing the path of past governments in terms of using “government money directly or indirectly to fund the party.”
The ex-president, however, insisted that he is not a member of the ADC but pledged that he will provide guidance to the leadership of the party when necessary.
He said: “I am happy that the party has become a credible alternative to the other two parties in such a short period. I have said it many times that I am not a member of ADC; I will, however, provide guidance where necessary. You have to make sure that you are guided by the vision of the party at all times, and continue to accord women and youths the chance to participate without discrimination.
“The major parties, right now, have image deficit, discipline deficit, commitment deficit, and leadership deficit. Once you are able to ensure that you are not found wanting in all these areas, you would have conquered the major challenges of running an ideal party that will produce credible leaders; and there must be an internal democracy.”
He, therefore, advised the ADC leaders at all levels to focus on their short, medium and long-term objectives, noting that, in the short term, ADC would have an impressive number of lawmakers at the House of Representatives and Senate, control a good number of state governments, and also work in collaboration with other parties to form the right government at the federal level.
“Once this is done, your short-term objective has been achieved. You can then focus on your medium-term objective. However, the only thing that can uphold a political party is morality. You can’t be a party condoning indiscipline,” he said.
Earlier, members of the National Working Committee of the ADC thanked the former president for choosing the party as the credible platform for his Coalition of Nigeria Movement and accepting to be a mentor and guide to the party.
Nwosu said Obasanjo was one of the best leaders in the world and the most influential political figure currently in Nigeria and indeed, Africa.
The ADC NWC used the occasion to present the Global Visionary Award to the former president. The award carries the citation: “We share in your passion and commitment to Nigeria.”
While presenting the award, Nwosu said that the former president “is a repository of history lessons and a man of destiny.”
Nwosu assured Obasanjo that ADC would never fail in the project of developing a model and sustainable party that would place Nigeria on the global stage again as a formidable country and a preferred investment, tourist, and sporting destination.
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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had previously reported that Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka and Femi Falana, a senior lawyer in Nigeria, described Obasanjo as one of the country’s major problems.
The two prominent Nigerians said Obasanjo was not a saviour as some would believe. They attacked Obasanjo at a panel discussion alongside the editorial chairman of The Nation, Sam Omatseye, at a book launch in Lagos.
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Source: Naija.ng