A chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Coordinator of The Alternative political movement, Otunba Segun Showunmi, has urged Nigerians to make a conscious effort to sustain and deepen democracy in the country.
Speaking in Abeokuta against the backdrop of the South-West launch of The Alternatives coalition of political minds aiming to transform the country’s political landscape, Showunmi disclosed that Nigeria should reject other coalitions whose primary intention is to ride on primordial sentiments to grab power at all costs.
He stated that their Ideal of developing democracy is always to destroy the house that made and shaped them into what they are today, saying that stability is the best by which a country can develop in democracy.
He added that Nigeria’s democracy is broken and urgently needs rehabilitation, stressing the need for youths across the country to rise and defend the system from collapse.
“We have created the alternative movement mainly for four reasons so that we may deepen democracy in our country and stabilise the basis on which we do selection. Stability is the best by which you do development in a democracy,” he said.
At the event, Showunmi was honoured as the Grand Patron of the Coalition of Concerned Political and Civic Nigerians (CCPCN) for his contributions over the years to the country’s political development.
Also speaking at the occasion, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Comrade Abayomi Arabambi, explained that The Alternatives movement is not opposed to coalition politics, but rather a coalition built on genuine progressive alliances that can be a powerful vehicle for change.
“What we reject and what every sane Nigerian must reject is the repackaging of certified failures as reformers. As the Akan proverb goes: ‘The lizard that ruined its mother’s funeral does not get invited to another’s burial.’ Yet here we are, watching the same lizards dancing on Nigeria’s grave,” he said.
Arabambi added that the coalition of politically displaced politicians, in their self-deception, believes that speaking in a loud voice with dramatic gestures makes them appear intelligent.
“They engage themselves in the acts of making false statements with boldness and arrogance, which they know, of course, that their various individual constituents will believe them because they don’t read or seek facts”.
He noted that “what difference does their coalition make to Nigerians when the same set of people who brought the country into its present economic challenges are the ones forming new alliances?
“They are just showcasing their frenzied desperation to grab power purely for their self-aggrandisement, thinking they can cause a return to their felt-entitled dependency on state resources and patronage”.
One of the leaders of The Alternatives movement, Mr.Adai Edwin Adai, explained that the movement is a gathering of progressive democrats who want their country to move forward.
