the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the
Deputy President of the Senate, Senator
Ike Ekweremadu, is tasking his party’s
National Assembly Members-elect on
credible opposition, saying; “being in
opposition is not a life sentence for any
party”.
This came even as he asked the ruling All
Progressives Congress, APC, not to deter
on campaign promises; just in tune with
PDP; which in recent times have
continuously harped on the need for APC
to deliver and not shortchange the
electorate.
Delivering a keynote address at a retreat
organised by the Forum of PDP National
Assembly Members-elect for its members
in Port Harcourt on Monday,
Ekweremadu said; “being in opposition
is an opportunity for soul-searching,
self-reconstruction, and providing
healthy, robust, vigilant, and responsible
opposition, which is critical to
democratic growth and good
governance”.
He however warned the lawmakers-elect
to eschew a brand of opposition that sees
nothing good in any government action
or policy, but to “oppose responsibly and
patriotically, play by the rules, and stick
to verifiable facts”.
He also urged them not to engage in
“market square propaganda and
destructive criticism that turn truth
upside-down or tends to incite the
citizenry against the government in
power”.
Ekweremadu said the inherent danger in
such brand of opposition was that “apart
from overheating the polity and
detracting from good governance, even if
such propaganda and false promises get
you to power, it will not keep you there”.
He stressed the need for shadow
committees relative to Ministries,
Departments, and Agencies, MDAs, to
sustain a methodical monitoring of the
APC performance and reporting to the
public on real time basis.
He added: “The PDP lawmakers in the
8th National Assembly should not only
hold the APC accountable in terms of
their list of promises, but also in
accordance with the timeline they gave
in the course of the campaigns. They
should be able to bring exchange rates
down to one Naira to one US Dollar,
bring back the Chibok Girls, eradicate
terrorism and insurgency, stamp out
corruption, create two million jobs every
year, provide uninterrupted electricity
supply, and fulfill other campaign
promises or prepare to hand over power
to the PDP in 2019. Their recent
dithering and excuses on their campaign
promises are not acceptable.”
That coming from a personality like
Ekweremadu is understandable and
seems patriotic, just as he adds; “We
believe they must have studied the
Nigerian situation thoroughly before
mounting the podiums with promises.
We should also provide policy
alternatives, dissect every executive bill
on its merit, and provide informed and
energetic oversight of the executive to
ensure that Nigerians are not cheated by
the ruling party. We should ensure that
successive national budgets address
national needs and that they do so
equitably.”
“We should only support the
confirmation of appointments that meet
competency test and comply with the
principles of federal character and equal
opportunity”.
The Deputy President of the Senate also
urged the PDP National Assembly
members-elect who were still nursing the
defection idea to perish the thought,
describing it as “the shortest route to
political Golgotha and oblivion”.
“Today, the APC cabals cannot agree on
the zoning or sharing formula for their
electoral windfall. They have no seat for
others because they do not even have
enough seats for themselves. They have
said so loud and clear. Therefore, those
who are running to the APC house
should be ready to stand up endlessly.
Let us stay and rebuild our party and
revive its political fortunes,” he
admonished.”
He charged the ruling party not to
impose restraints of any type or suppress
public opinion and public voice, saying
it would amount to undemocratic and
authoritarian tendencies.
“The APC government must always bear
in mind that both the party and the
government are products of the
atmosphere of democratic liberties
promoted by the PDP government under
former President Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan; that atmosphere must not be
fouled by executive excesses, witch-hunt
or intimidation”, he warned.
Ekweremadu enjoined members of the
Press and Civil Society organizations
and members of the public to live up to
their vital roles of holding the
government accountable.
He said the retreat themed “The Role of
the Opposition in Facilitating
Development and Good Governance” was
important as the PDP had no cognate
experience in opposition role because
“when the tune of the music changes, the
dance step also changes.
“The Forum of PDP National Assembly
Members-elect thought we should come
together to learn and properly rehearse
the new dance steps before we enter the
village square”, he stressed.
rom other emerging democracies around
Africa such as Ghana and Kenya had
witnessed a large turn out of PDP serving
and former governors, and party
leaders.
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