Former presidential flag bearer of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should be held responsible for incessant suicide bombings in the country.
Ribadu also blamed the ruling party for the high rate of insecurity and corruption currently rocking the nation.
According to him: “The PDP has ruled Nigeria since 1999 and the only things it brought to us are insecurity, suicide bombings and corruption at the highest level.”
Speaking further, he said “PDP has failed Nigeria. It is time to give the opposition a new chance. I call on other opposition parties to join the new train of progressives.” Ribadu who spoke to Daily Sun in Abuja at the weekend, also warned members of the newly-formed All Progressives Congress (APC) to be wary of the antics of those dissatisfied with the emergence of the party. “Those benefitting from today’s political structure will not want the new party to succeed.
They’ll fight back,” Ribadu added. “What matters is for people to hold on and fight till the end. Those that are merging will not get it so easily. If they were imagining that others were going to accept it like that, they’re making a mistake. Those who’ll lose out will fight back.”
Ribadu, however, hailed the emergence of APC, saying that it will compete favourable with the PDP that had been in power since 1999.
Hear him: “I’m so proud of it. I’m very happy that I’m part of it. I think it is part of the biggest development in our recent history. I pray that it will work this time better than before. “This country needs a strong and viable opposition that can help Nigerians to chose as an alternative. We’ve not been able to provide that before.
The opposition party was or less regional until now. We’ve now seen them (parties) coming together. It is going to create a national party that is going to rival the PDP. Most importantly, I hope it is going to bring the change that we are looking for.
“Coming together may be meaningless if it is not going to bring a new thing. Coming together must provide us the opportunity and chance to do things in a different way. Let us hope the merger will provide a new way by which we can do politics in Nigeria.
Let us see to it that this merger provides the platform to play national politics and not sectional. It is good for our country and let us hope that it will help us get out of the problems that we’ve found ourselves. I pray that it is going to give Nigeria a chance to create a solid platform to do what is right. I also pray that the merger will not produce corrupt and sectional leaders,” he said.
On his 2015 presidential ambition, Ribadu said that it was too early to make his position known. He said it would affect the consolidation of the new merger. “It will be very unwise and improper for anybody to jump the gun and make a conclusion.
Let us build the new party first and then individuals can come forward with their own ambitions to do what they feel is best for them, including myself,” Ribadu said.
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