YunusaSalisuTanko, former national chairman, National Conscience Party (NCP), and the party’s presidential flagbearer in the 2019 elections is today the spokesman for the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Council. In a chat, he said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has no solution to Nigeria’s myriad of problems.

He speaks on the economy, 2024 budget proposal, off-cycle election, and the way forward to salvage the country from drift, among other national issues. In his assessment of the off-cycle elections that took place in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi states, he said“the off-cycle election has been a total disaster on the part of INEC because it has taken its cue from the general elections of 2023, which showcased the incapacity of INEC to conduct a free and fair election. It was characterised by intimidation, vote-buying, manipulation, buying off of electoral officers and even to a point where some of the candidates’ life are being threatened. You can now see that the people have lost trust in the democratic process and you can see that many people did not even bother to come out to vote.

“Those who came out to vote only did so to exercise their franchise and believing that a miracle can happen to have a free and fair election in Nigeria. So, as far as we are concerned that election was worse than the earlier 2023 elections. You can read reports of all sorts of atrocities used to manipulate the electoral process. While the INEC is incapacitated, the judiciary did not also help matters as what was coming out from our courts was shocking and disappointing.

Speaking on assertion that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) wants to institute a one party state in the country, he said it is the truth, adding that “the target is for them (APC) to take over all states that they can manipulate themselves to take, even without performing. They are already targeting and strategizing for the 2027 general elections. They have bought over the police institution, they have bought over the INEC institution, they have already taken care of some of the political parties too at the same time and also they have taken care of the last hope institution of the common man, which is the judiciary. You can see the kind of ups and downs decisions and judgments that the Supreme Court and the Appeal Court are giving at the moment now, even those elections that have been adjudged to have been won by other political parties they are doing everything that they can to ensure that they are taken away from those parties that won the election and that is totally unacceptable. And, of course, for me, it is dangerous and it portends disaster for our democracy in Nigeria. We must speak out against this plot to turn Nigeria into a one party state.

On hisfears for Nigeria, he said“I do have my fears and that is that many people will completely have lost trust in our electioneering system, they no longer believe in our democratic system. And even if they want to contest an election, they will prepare for thugs, they will prepare money to buy the electoral institution (INEC), buy the security agencies, they will prepare money so as to buy the electorate, they will also prepare money so as to buy up the press and any other persons in their way, so it’s going to be a jungle election in 2027 if we do not take very serious stringent position. For me as a democrat, I think this is what will disparage our democratic system in no distant time if we do not rise to the critical challenge.”

And on the way forward for Nigeria, “The way forward is, firstly, we need to work on the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a way of building trust. You see, we have a very crooked constitution which seems to be skewed along the office holder. INEC must be reconstituted along the line of Justice Mohammed Uwais report. The INEC chairman cannot be appointed by the sitting president just like that. See the recommendation of Uwais report and ensure those who apply for the office of the chairman must be published. People should apply for the job, screening should be recommended by another body like the NJC. Our police need to be rejigged. We should as a matter of urgency make sure that the Electoral Act is revisited, it must be actionable, and not the one the judiciary will come to interpret what is contained in the Electoral Act, it should be unambiguous. The judiciary is now helping INEC to interpret the law that suits them. The Electoral Act must be booby-trap free and must not be used in the interest of the office holder. It should be very clear laws, quite explanatory, no ambiguity, no room for manipulation,” he added.(Story adapted from Daily Sun)