The Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, Saturday, berated the Federal Government over what he described as poor handling of the menace of killer herdsmen in the country.
He stressed that if the trend continues, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may not have the moral right to ask for votes from Nigerians next year, even as he urged the party’s leaders from the South West to close ranks, if they wish to produce the party’s presidential candidate after 2019.
This came as the former governor of Adamawa State, Vice Admiral Murtala Nyako (rtd), described the controversial tenure elongation for the party’s national chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun and other states executives, as death sentence for the party if urgent action is not taken to address the illegalities and the impunities going on in the party.
Nyako who spoke in Yola while addressing thousands of APC supporters at his residence, said APC has lost moral grounds to speak on due process, rule of law, enforcement of democratic norms and culture.
He contended that the only way out of the APC crisis over tenure elongation is organising a convention, stressing that anything besides this would not work. According to him, the actions of those who feel the party is their private estate will not make APC move forward.
“Even if a mechanic takes APC to court today over the unconstitutional and undemocratic tenure extension of party officials, it is very clear that the court can lock the national secretariat of the party. If there is no convention in APC before the general elections, the party may become a spectator instead of a participant,” he warned.
While emphasising that only fairness, legality, justice and the rule of law can sustain the APC ahead of the 2019 general elections, Nyako urged his party to learn from what led to the collapse of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the 2015 general elections and retrace its steps before it is too late.
He regretted the action of some Nigerian leaders, stressing: “Some of our political leaders seem to take ‘Ogogoro’ before taking action or making public statements on important issues, because some of their statements do not reflect or contain any reasonable sense.”
Senator Sani, who spoke at the 5th summit of the Olalekan Olomide Platform for Development, held at the Press Centre, Iyaganku, Ibadan, urged the leadership of the party to intensify efforts at checking the activities of killer.
He noted that the party has recorded some achievements in its anti-corruption war and fight against insurgency. He said, however, that there are areas where the government needs to do more.
“We must honestly admit that there are successes achieved by this administration, but mindless killings, violence, and bloodshed in most states is mindboggling and of great concern.
“The crisis is also a threat to the peace and unity of Nigeria. The killings are not acceptable and that is why I said the president must stand up to the reality of our country today. If our party cannot guarantee the peace and stability, we factually have given up our moral right to ask people to vote us into power again.”
On the role the South West played to vote in APC in 2015, Sani said: “The South West is the heartbeat of the APC, and if by chance we suffer a stroke here, that is the end of the story. The region should put it’s house in order and have a written agreement with the ruling party that after supporting it in 2019, it is the turn of the region.”
Earlier, Professor Emeritus Oladipo Akinkugbe urged the political class to consider the masses in their policies and programmes.