Published On: Sat, Jun 11th, 2022

Clarion Call For A Referendum To Save The Soul Of Nigeria

MALCOLM -INEC OFFICE

By  Chief (Barr.) Malcolm Omirhobo

LAGOS JUNE 11TH (URHOBOTODAY)-I find the just concluded primary elections of the Peoples Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress party  characterised by greed ,  dishonesty , fraud and bribery as shameful , absurd,  imprudent, an insult to the sensibilities and intelligence of Nigerians and  consequently  unacceptable . The police, the Economy and Financial Crime Commission and    Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission did not help matters as they  condoned  bribery of  such an  embarrassing and gargantuan  proportion  , looking  the other way as party  delegates sold out the peoples’ mandate to the highest bidders.  More damning is the fact that majority of  the  participants of the said primaries have not been able to explain the source of their wealth and also  have not  been able to answer the  tons of  corruption, fraud and criminal  allegations against them. 

In view of the above, I am  calling for the  immediate cancellation of the party primaries and the 2023 Nigeria general elections   and in their stead  the conduct of a  referendum to  save  Nigeria from CATASTROPHE .

It is never too late and it is better late than never for the over two hundred and fifty ethnic nationalities in Nigeria  expressed in thirty six states and a Federal Capital Territory  to sit-down in brotherhood to renegotiate their  coexistence and the structure of a new Nigeria via a referendum .

Conducting a referendum  may be complex and  tedious but it is possible if we want  . The truth of the matter is that we can make the difference if we  put country  first before self, tribe and religion . The same energy, resources and timeline used  for the conduct of the sham called party  primaries is  enough to conduct a referendum  for Nigeria .

To conduct a referendum ,we do not  need to creat a new wheel  as we have the Nigerian 1963 constitution to revert to ,  the Aburi accord of 1967 to look at  and  the Nigerian  1999 constitution to work with by simply devolving powers to  the component parts of Nigeria to give them the  powers and freedom that they need to prosper in a one Nigeria . Sure ,  It is that simple if we care and want it .

l am making this last call for us to stop  the unwise choice of going on with the 2023  elections  built on corruption and  the stolen mandates of people  .  I am making this last call for us to stop  building  the future and foundation of Nigeria on  quicksand and false unity . This last call is important because now we have the liberty to talk and the  opportunity for those who want to be part of a great , united strong and powerful  Nigeria to subscribe to it  or unsubscribe without coercion , bad blood or rancur.

You may ask why call for the cancellation of the election ? Why can’t we go on with it just in case  any of the other   political parties, like the labour  wins the election? . This arguement , I say is nothing but  mere permutation because what happens if the other political parties losses to either PDP or APC  ? Besides the way Nigeria is presently constituted and configured  even if a saint wins the forth coming presidential election he will still have the problems of the structure ,  unity , insecurity and prosperity of Nigeria to contend with . All of which a referendum can solve but an election cannot .

So my take on all these  is why don’t we sort out  the structural , unity , insecurity and prosperity problems  of Nigeria first  before the election and not after the election?  To me  going on with the election  without first conducting a referendum tantamount to cooking an expensive and delicious pot of soup with a leaking  pot, without first  patching the  pot or getting  a new pot to avoid waste .

It is imperative that we heed to this last call for a referendum failing which must be prepared for anarchy  or senseless war .

 

Chief (Barr.) Malcolm Omirhobo, a human right activist writes from Lagos

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