The attention of the Ribadu Campaign Organisation has been drawn to remarks by Chief Richard Akinjide, that the Presidential candidate of Nigeria's main opposition party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, is not fit to be President. Of course, Mr. Akinjide is entitled to his opinion and choice of candidate, but he should not distort facts to deceive Nigerians.
We would have ignored the ranting of Mr. Akinjide who has continuously shown that he has disdain for good governance and progressive politics, but for the deceit contained in his statement. His role in the infamous second republic, and as one of the architects of the 12 2/3 controversy that threw Nigeria into the abyss of military rule, remains till this day.
Mr. Akinjide was quoted in a telephone interview in a national newspaper that "Mallam Ribadu should have gone to the House of Representatives or the Senate. He is not a material for a Vice-President. I won't even make him a governor."
For Mr. Akinjide to say he won't make governor a holder of Masters of Law degree, a public prosecutor of many years experience, a man who has attended some of the most prestigious institutions in the world, tells a lot about the Ibadan politician. He must however be made to know that while he still lives in the past where himself and people of his ilk make people governors or presidents, Nigerians have decided to be the architect of their own destiny by choosing and electing their own leaders in a free and fair election.
Of course Chief Akinjide is insensitive to the plight of millions of Nigerians who are tired of the rot the PDP federal government has visited on them for 12years. He does not feel the pains of the great citizens of this country who have seen a continuous decline in their standard of living, in the availability of basic amenities like electricity, good roads, etc. He does not suffer from the continuous insecurity that the PDP led government has thrown the whole country; from east to west, north to south, and even in his home town of Ibadan.
One wonders what the octogenarian politician was thinking when he spoke about acceptance by the international community. Without being immodest, no presidential candidate has the acceptance that Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has in the international community. Mr. Ribadu has parleyed with several world leaders and has been invited to appear in parliaments around the world, including the US congress; he has contributed significantly to the global fight against graft and corruption, a role that continues to earn him tremendous respect internationally. This is someone who has just been chosen as one of only three international members to monitor and help in the fight against corruption in Afghanistan. But this election is not about the international community and international experience or acceptance. It is about the need for Nigeria as a nation to make a clean break from the past which Mr. Akinjide and the PDP represent.
There is no better way to unite Nigerians than to vociferously challenge the major problems confronting the people. If this is the case, then Chief Akinjide needs to know that while he and the PDP have failed in this aspect, Nuhu Ribadu succeeded when he was given the chance. He fought gallantly against the monster that has hindered our growth as a nation, a monster that has made democracy un-enjoyable to Nigerians; a, monster that Chief Akinjide and the PDP pamper and allow to grow. In that fight against corruption, Ribadu did much more than what Mr. Akinjide and the PDP have to offer.
Ibrahim Modibbo
Special Adviser, Media and Communications
Ribadu Campaign Organisation
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