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Says internally displaced politicians occupy ADC
From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Ajibola Basiru, has said those who are moving to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) are internally displaced politicians from their parties.
Speaking in Osogbo, Osun State, during a chat with journalists on Sunday, Basiru said the desperation of those in the party did not allow them to advance the fact that even some of the nomenclature they are using is inappropriate, noting that there is no such thing as a coalition in a presidential system of government.
He described those flooding the ADC as frustrated politicians who are no longer recognised in their parties, saying that none of their former parties’ leadership has openly declared support for them.
“Nigerians need to be properly educated; there is nothing like a coalition. People who are talking about a coalition appear either to want to confuse Nigerians or they are ignorant of what a coalition is about.
“A coalition is a temporary alliance for the purpose of forming a government, and it is more apposite in the context of a parliamentary system of government when none of the parties that contested could form a majority in the parliament, so two or more parties will form a coalition to have a majority.
“In a presidential system of government, the term coalition is inappropriate, and it is an attempt to create an atmosphere of grandiosity where there is none.
“It was appropriate to say that certain individuals have become frustrated in their present political party and have started to defect to the ADC, and for the character that said the APC is in panic mode, I don’t know what parameters they are using to judge panic mode.
“It’s the same set of people who said a few weeks ago that Nigeria is fast becoming a one-party state; they are now saying the APC is panicked because some internally displaced politicians are leading their political party into the ADC.
“As far as I’m concerned, they are just aligning some people to form them. I’m a party administrator, and I know what it is to say that you want to join a party and take over the leadership of a party.
“As of today, you may go to the website of INEC; nothing has changed in terms of the leadership structure of the ADC, notwithstanding the jamboree that they are talking about. There are procedures in the culture of any party as to how people assume leadership.
“The desperation of these individuals also did not allow them to advance the fact that even some of the nomenclature they are using is inappropriate. You cannot say you are a pro tem chairman or national secretary of a political party that is already in existence. It’s either you are a substantive chairman or you are an acting chairman. The term pro tem is used when a political party is still in formation. The ADC has been a registered party.
“So, if you are becoming an acting chairman or acting secretary, what is the procedure by which you have emerged? When you have an assemblage of people who are not even members of that political party, to say that you have assumed leadership, I think it’s more of a circus show,” Basiru said.