The Presidential Candidate of Hope Democratic Party, HDP, Dr. Ambrose Owuru has berated the Senate for confirming the nomination of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro as a Minister by President Goodluck Jonathan.
Owuru in an interview with journalists in Abuja yesterday, maintained that the Nigerian Senate acted “shamefully” and “selfishly” , by okaying Obanikoro for a Ministerial appointment, despite “subsisting electoral malpractice allegations”against him.
He argued that a responsible Senate would have in the overriding interest of the nation, differed Obanikoro’s confirmation, “at least to prove the international community which is already perceiving Nigerians as people of anything goes, wrong”.
Owuru who has not only participated in two presidential elections but also a senior legal practitioner, equally maintained that both President Goodluck Jonathan of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the presidential candidate of the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, rtd, are not legally qualified to contest in the March 28 presidential election.
He accused President Jonathan of sponsoring all the favourable judgments that affirmed his eligibility to seek for a re-election, “even though it is glaringly clear that he has taken the Presidential oath of office on two separate occasions, a limit that is prescribed in the law.
“Go and check all the decided cases, they were filed before the various courts by card carrying members of the PDP.
“So far as we are concerned in HDP, by law, the PDP has no candidate for this election and Jonathan cannot be substituted because by law, the time for the substitution of candidates has already elapsed.
“We know the law and we have perfected our own strategies. PDP believe that Buhari is not qualified, let them knock out Buhari then we are in power”, Owuru boasted.
He said that Nigeria is yet to get the kind of leadership its citizens are yearning for due to the menace of corruption and lack of patriotism which he said has cut across so many divides in the country.
He said: “The present system have officially endorsed sycophancy and praise-singing, such that is unparalleled to anywhere in the world. They only listen to those that sing their praises and turn deaf ear or antagonise constructive criticisms. You don’t praise a sitting government, you applaud it.
“Today you see people reducing their potentials on the alter of sychophancy. It doesn’t happen like that, even in Ghana.
“With what has happened recently with the opposition, you have seen the government waking up to its responsibilities.
“The sychophancy is affecting even the leadership. You hear about trillion missing and Nigerians are still divided over it along cultural/ethnic cum religious lines.
”What we have today is capitalism. We don’t have the leadership that we seek. Question they always ask is what experience do you have. Nobody has asked what positive experience do you have.
“Leadership traits are what you should look out for. We have enough resources to transform this nation over 30 years ago, but see where we are today due to maladministration and bad leadership”, he added.
He said there was need for social/ cultural re-orientation, even as he urged political parties to engage in issue based campaigns, saying his party, HDP, has evolved five-pronged approach that will transform Nigeria within four years.
