The heat is already descending on the All Progressives Congress (APC) even as it savours the news, this afternoon, of its registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Congratulating the party on its formal birth, the rights Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) however demanded that APC must see the entire Nigeria as its constituency “which means that the new party must vigorously work to establish its presence in all parts of Nigeria even as the major national offices of this party must not be skewed to favour any religious groupings and/or geo-political zones but must be structured in such a way as to have fair and equal representation of all strands of opinion.”

It is the belief of HURIWA that “APC as currently registered must restructure its national hierarchy because only one religious group picked the dominant and most important offices which is against federal character that is fundamentally enshrined in our constitution.”

Continuing, the Abuja-based group said in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmnuel Onwubiko: “We in the organised civil society community and especially those of us endowed with the profound talents to write as members of the forth estate of the realm, we will keep all political parties on their toes so that the PUBLIC GOOD AND PUBLIC INTEREST of corporate Nigeria is served. We also wish to appeal to the newly registered political party to work out and publish a blueprint for ending the vicious circle of violent crimes; mass poverty; mass illiteracy and total break down of basic infrastructure in all parts of Nigeria since all the ruling parties at both the national and state levels have failed spectacularly to live up to the general expectation of all Nigerians. Transparency and zero-tolerance to corruption and economic crimes should also be their hallmark as a political platform that will seek the mandate of all Nigerians come 2015.

“Nigeria is a nation weighed down by corruption and poverty and so the newly registered political party should emphasise the restructuring of the two anti-graft agencies and the Nigerian Police and should also tell Nigerians how they intend to arrest the insecurity of lives and property that have afflicted Nigeria and Nigerians in the last 14 years.

“The new party must bring to the table its agenda for constitutional amendment now to recognise local government autonomy because as it is most Nigerians see many elements within this party that are inherently opposed to local government autonomy and also state police even when they are well aware that both the local government as a tier of government and the Nigerian Police Force as the apex law enforcement institution in Nigeria has failed in their constitutional duty and the local governments have been hijacked by the state governors who run them as their personal assets thereby denying Nigerians the democracy dividends.

“APC indeed has its work cut out clearly and it should hit the ground running to give Nigerians qualitative and professionally run opposition politics devoid of acrimony and mudslinging. The party must whittle down the overwhelming influence of the two notable god fathers in this party known so very well by all Nigerians so as to make the APC a mass membership and participatory party.”

•Photo: APC National Leader, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

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