Buhari’s June 12 speech lacks what democracy stands for, say Afenifere, analyst

THE pan- Yoruba sociopolitical organisation, Afenifere and a public affairs analyst, Bola Bolawole, yesterday described President Muhammadu Buhari’s June 12 address as lacking in what democracy stands for and that he was not interested in a free and fair election.

National Publicity Secretary of the organisation, Mr. Yinka Odumakin and the analyst, who spoke with The Guardian separately, stated that waiting for Buhari and his party, All Progressives Congress ( APC), to reform the electoral system is like waiting for “Godot.”

Specifically, Odumakin noted that the President was talking about Nigeria creating more than 700,000 jobs while he had already hinted Nigerians that about 39.4 million people might be unemployed by the end of 2020.

He said: “There are lots of discrepancies in the address instead of fashioning a new path that will make the country flourish and grow. Maybe what they meant by democracy is different from what we meant by it. What we have today is hopelessness. The government keeps on borrowing instead of restructuring the country so that every state could manage its resources and pay tax to the central. Clearly, their governance approach and concept is not about the ordinary Nigerian. What we have is civil rule and not democracy.”

On his part, Bolawole stated that conscionable Nigerians would be deceiving themselves if they think Buhari is interested in free and fair election, saying: “He is not and neither is his party, the APC. So, they will not do anything that promotes free and fair election. Waiting for Buhari/ APC to reform the electoral system to deliver credible election is like waiting for Godot. They have exploited and benefited from the lacuna in the Electoral Act and will continue to do so. The loopholes there serve their selfish and vested interest.

“And it is not only the Electoral Act that they have manipulated and will continue to trample but have also taken advantage of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) itself, compromising it beyond belief. They have corrupted the security agencies, turning them into APC enforcers.”