By Musa Baba Adamu
The immediate past Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (lNEC), Professor Attahiru Muhammad Jega, has advised Nigerians not to vote for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for failing to develop the country.
According to him, the two major political parties were like siamese twins of corruption and have woefully failed the nation, stressing that it is high time Nigerians looked for a credible alternative.
Speaking in a BBC Hausa programme monitored in Kaduna, the University don said, “Nigerians should dump the two parties because of their bad antecedents over the last 20 years.”
He explained that looking at their inability to change the economic fortunes of Nigeria for 20 years now, it is now apparently clear that they would not do anything even if Nigerians vote for any of the two parties again.
Professor Jega explained that with the bad things these parties committed in those past years, Nigerians should never give their trust to the parties again, pointing out that It is now very clear that these parties will never change even if they are given another chance.
He noted that the APC and PDP have formed governments and Nigerians are all witnesses, saying that they did not come with good intention to make amends with their fight against corruption as all corrupt people that were supposed to be prosecuted all sneaked into the APC.
Professor Jega explained that he has registered with the Peoples Redemption Party ( PRP), now a PRP member looking for ways to help Nigeria out of its woes.
He said, “That is why we believe now is the time to establish a platform where every good Nigerian should join and contribute towards building the nation on the right path.”
The former chairman of INEC alleged that those in the major political parties have destroyed everything and had made the parties so stigmatized that whichever good person joins the parties would be considered like them.
Jega alleged that lack of good leadership in the country has thrown the nation into its current problems, leading to series of agitations for the country to be balkanized.
He lamented, “Since 1979 I’ve been teaching in the university; for 40 years now. So, from what I read and observed when I was Chairman of INEC, honestly the way I see our politicians conducting elections and from the manner they represent their people when elected, honestly, it is something to be afraid of.”
