Buhari, Atiku Ojukwu, Others Celebrate Electoral Reform Day
From: Kelechi Okoronkwo, Abuja
WHILE the nation's officialdom celebrated Democracy Day yesterday, proponents of mega party under a coalition of the Mega Party Movement (MPM) on their own part converged in Abuja to celebrate "Electoral Reform Day", saying that Nigeria, after 10 years of democratic experience had not had any democracy to celebrate.
Instead of celebrating a "vain thing", the MPM said Nigerians should join the movement in its agitation for the reform of Nigeria's electoral system as that only could make a way for democracy in the country.
Senior citizens like former Head of State, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Biafran warlord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, former governor of old Kaduna State, Abdukadir Balarabe Musa among others pledged total support for the activities of the Mega Party Movement (MPM) which, according to its National Secretariat Chairman, Chief Olu Falae, would metamorphose into an opposition political party to stand the ruling party in the 2011 election.
Balarabe Musa said all the parties involved in the MPM would collapse into one political party in due time, and the party would produce a presidential candidate for the 2011 elections while parties or individuals who do not want to belong to the party would form alliance with the "progressive" party when it would be formed.
Political party leaders also registered their support for the MPM in the meeting. Some of them were National Chairmen of Hope Democratic Party (HDP), Mr. Ambrose Owuru, Labour Party (LP) Mr. Dan Nwanyanwu, factional chairman of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) Rasheed Shitabey and Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Prof. Pat Utomi who sent a representative.
In his speech, Buhari, who was present at the meeting said he specifically attended the meeting to demonstrate his support for the activities of the Movement, adding that Nigerians had got Electoral Reform Day to celebrate on May 29, not Democracy Day.
He said: "I specifically came (to Abuja) because of this meeting...the Electoral Reform Day is what we are celebrating and I am really a part of it and I believe that all Nigerians are also doing so".
Represented by Ahmed Yusuf, Atiku urged all Nigerians to be part of the MPM because their ideas were not "a small thing".
"As you are aware, the former Vice President is part of this movement, he is with us. By the time this movement picks up very well, you will always see him around because this movement is not a small thing... He is unavoidably absent and he has sent me to represent him", Yusuf said.
On the essence of the MPM, Falae said Nigeria fared better during military regimes than in her experience in democracy.
"It is painful that the military acting in response to the resolve of Nigerians to return to civil rule conducted the 1999 elections. As imperfect as it was then in our view, has remained remarkably better and much nearer to genuine democratic election than any election conducted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government for the past ten years.
"It is deeply frustrating and disappointing that the PDP has not been able to conduct one single credible transparent, free and fair election even in one local council of the country..."
Falae accused President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua of reneging on his promise to deliver the country's electoral system through the reform of the process.
"We are also outraged that President Umaru Yar'Adua who publicly acknowledged the flawed national election which brought him to power and set up the Justice Mohammed Uwais led Electoral Reform Committee (ERC)...has reneged on his pronouncement and rejected the recommendations of the ERC.
"The Mega Party Movement consequently resolves to mark today, May 29, as Electoral Reform Day in contradiction to the Democracy Day being marked by the officialdom", he said.
