Political
movements and parties mobilising public sympathy and following in their
struggle for power are known for certain values and commitments. These
commitments are usually encapsulated in a body of promises and ethical
postulations which are expected to guide their ambitions and set
objectives. Such documentation normally referred to as a manifesto, is
no more than a projection defining the character and disposition of a
political party. The manner a manifesto is couched and presented can
underscore its perception by the public as a serious or frivolous
movement.
It is against this backdrop that the
public presentation of the manifesto of the newly registered political
party, All Progressive Congress, which is an amalgamation of three
political parties, draws its importance. While the mere presentation of
a list of projections, called manifesto, may not translate to a
manifestation of those ideologies in concrete terms, whether in power or
out of it, a cursory look at the proposals suggests that the new party
may be really on the move to wrest power from the People’s Democratic
Party.
It is an open secret in political
circles that most of the political parties in Nigeria have similar
manifestos even as those calling the shots at the parties had at certain
times been together in one of the parties before moving on to a new
party.
Nigerian political parties also have a
problem defining their ideologies. The bid to ‘grab power at all cost’
seems to be the dominant ideology and that is the reason they go to
sleep as soon as elections are concluded. The manifesto, which defines
the parties’ ideology, are usually ineffective and unimplemented. While
political parties are expected to work for the wellbeing of the people
through acceptable democratic processes, there is lack of people-focused
partisan politics in Nigeria. Once an elective office seeker attains
political position, he abandons the people.
Although the presentation of the
manifesto of All Progressive Congress is historic, the people may be
apathetic and will only be moved when there is a demonstration of real
commitment that goes beyond the rhetoric. But the APC manifesto seems to
focus on addressing the problems of Nigeria. Armed with the everyday
experience of an average Nigerian, it is not difficult for the party to
know what will appeal to the political interests of the people. Those
who drafted the document were certainly aware of the failures of the
present administration, or mildly put, the inability of the PDP-led
government to meet the yearnings of Nigerians.
The APC manifesto focuses on five main
issues: Power, security, corruption, electoral reforms and the economy.
Re-echoing the zeal of slain Minister of Justice and Attorney General of
the Federation, Chief Bola Ige, who sought to produce water from stones
when he assumed office as Minister of Power under President Olusegun
Obasanjo, the party seeks to provide sufficient electric energy to power
the economy to be among the fastest growing economies of the world.
Taking the nation’s power generation from 4,000MW to 40,000MW between
four to eight years in power is something Nigerians will love to see.
The PDP government had grappled with
sustaining the 4,000 MW power generation since 1999, and this power
generation had reportedly dropped below 3, 000 recently. “Despite
billions of dollars going into various investments in the power sector,
Nigerians are yet to enjoy marginal benefits from it.” There is no doubt
that efforts are being made to fix power over the years. There are,
however, unseen hands pulling down every effort and plunging the nation
into perpetual darkness. Beyond the manifesto, Nigerians are eager to
see it come to pass whether through an APC-led government or the
incumbent administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.
The APC manifesto obviously derived its
content from the debates saturating the political environment,
especially those before the last efforts to amend the 1999 Constitution.
While it will seem that the larger part of the society favours the
removal of immunity clause and the decentralisation of the police force,
these proposals never came near being adopted during the consideration
of the items for amendments at the National Assembly. APC thinks that
the fight against corruption will amount to nothing without exposing
political office holders to prosecution while in office. The removal of
immunity clause for the President and governors is one of the things APC
is determined to do if voted into power come 2015. It also promises to
ensure the independence of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences
Commission by repealing the laws inhibiting their independence.
The manifesto reads in part: “APC in
Government shall muster the political will to wage strident war against
corruption; otherwise, our post-oil economy will be disastrous. It is
our considered view that none of our cardinal programmes will succeed if
the current level of corruption and looting going on in the land is
allowed to continue.
“We shall strengthen and make
independent, the EFCC, ICPC and other anti-graft agencies and repeal the
laws which inhibit their independence. We shall embark on public
sensitisation campaign and civic education against corruption in schools
and town halls. We shall encourage civil society organisations,
advocacy groups and whistle-blowers in the anti-graft vanguard. We shall
stop the corruption of our electoral process by making Independent
National and State Electoral Commissions truly independent.
“We shall establish special courts for
corruption, after due and thorough review of the Penal Code. To
actualise this, we shall make the appointment of the chairman and top
officials of national and state electoral commissions public as
enunciated in the Uwais Electoral Reform Report.” While the proposal is
laudable, some steps can demonstrate its seriousness if it begins to
purge from within itself those who have been tainted.
Securing a dependable electoral system
is not an easy task. While many have doubted the independence of the
Independent National Electoral Commission, others think that INEC, under
Prof. Attahiru Jega, has been largely independent, especially now that
it has been placed on the first line charge. APC, in its manifesto,
intends to improve on the independence of the commission – in terms of
the appointment of the Chairman and members of the commission. According
to the party’s manifesto, the burden of proof shall rest with the
electoral commission on election matters when it becomes the ruling
party at the centre.
Creation of new jobs through vocational
training of graduates, loans for businesses, mass housing through
efficient mortgage banking and maintenance of infrastructure are the
tonics APC intends to inject into the economy if voted into power.
In spite of the ambitious nature of the
APC manifesto, there is certainly nothing surprising and new about its
contents. Other political parties also have good manifestos. The
challenge of a manifesto lies in the ability of the party leadership to
implement it when voted into power.
Speaking on the development, a member of
the party, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, said the manifesto sets the agenda
of the party with the Nigerian people in focus. “We, as a party, are
determined to squarely tackle the problems of Nigeria head-on, when
given the chance politically. APC offers a unique opportunity for
Nigerians to get a better deal in the face of huge and abundant natural
and human resources. We want to end the height of neglect, corruption
and misrule. We want to entrench a better future for our children, a
better country that our children will be proud to call their own and
home,” he said.
He argued that while implementing the
manifesto is a huge responsible, it is not impossible with the right
environment and the political will, assuring that with the manifesto,
the party is ready to go places with the sole aim of bringing relief to
millions of disgruntled Nigerians.
Nigerians have long awaited a meaningful
change. The promises and the manifestos are many and diverse. Can
Nigeria trust APC with their mandate in 2015? Is there any reason to
think that the manifesto translates to a sustainable and workable
ideology for a political party seeking to radically change Nigeria? And
is there any indication that Nigeria, and Nigerians are indeed ready for
a corrupt-free nation?
These questions are crucial in ensuring
that APC attains power in the next political dispensation. In a country
where many Nigerians are willing to sell their votes for money and where
winning elections depends on how much you can dispense and distribute
financially, such a burning zeal of a political party to change things
can be dwarfed considerably.
APC can begin to win the confidence of
Nigeria by first turning the searchlight on itself. The merging parties
have separately been accused of lacking in internal democracy. They have
this opportunity to begin to do things right and demonstrate to
Nigerians and to their members that the change which they anticipate for
Nigeria has started within the party.
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