Lagos PDP wants loopholes in electoral system fixed before 2023
Chairman of Lagos State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Engr. Adedeji Doherty, has called on Nigerians to prevail over President Muhammadu Buhari, National Assembly, and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fix necessary loopholes in the electoral system before 2023.
Making the call during a Town Hall meeting held in Lagos on Saturday, Doherty said the existing electoral system could not guarantee free, fair, and credible elections. According to him, “The current electoral system has been our undoing since 1999 and it is also one of the factors emboldening individuals to plant their stooges in elected positions.”
Doherty said a situation, where election results are finally decided by the courts, is unacceptable in a working democracy.
He cited Lagos as an example, saying: “The lopsided electoral system has given room to some individual to always manipulate elections and plant loyalists in elected positions instead of allowing people’s wish to thrive.”
Doherty also told the PDP gathering that the existing system could not guarantee a better future for any Nigerian. He said: “There is no future for young people in a socio-economic and political atmosphere where one person decides the fate of every other citizen. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is not adding value to the country because of its style of governance and it would amount to a disaster if the party is allowed to continue beyond 2023. The excruciating economic condition Nigerians are currently facing is as a result of maladministration and mismanagement of public resources by political leaders both at state and federal level.”
He noted that in any clime where political warlords/ godfathers decide who becomes who or does what, the people suffer because they have no say on who governs them.
He said, “The worst mistake any society could make was to choose the wrong persons to rule over them. Prior to the 2015 general elections that brought APC into power, Nigerians were not groaning this bad, but now, the level of poverty has gone beyond human imagination.
“In a democracy, people make their choices, and it is best when people choose who governs them so that they can hold them accountable since the government is responsible and answerable to the people and not an individual. Today, Nigerians have tested PDP and APC, now they can say the difference between the two parties.”
He bemoaned the escalating state of insecurity across the country and the influx of strangers, especially armed young men into Lagos and other states. “Our Northern governors must fix their region and make it habitable for their citizens to live and do their businesses. Lagos is getting overpopulated,” he said.
He admonished the people to go out and convince people to align with PDP ahead of the next general elections, saying the task must start now. “This time, PDP is coming with healing balm and we are ready to fix the challenges of power, health, education, and other critical sectors of the economy.”
Doherty further cautioned PDP members against infiltrators as 2023 beckons. He said: “We must be at alert because they will send their agents to infiltrate outranks. It is our collective responsibility to stop them.”
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