NADECO describes 2023 elections as a misplaced priority

The National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) has said the move to hold elections in 2023 is a “misplaced priority.”

According to the renowned pro-democracy group, Nigeria’s priority for political stability and equity is a return to federal constitutional governance as practised before independence.

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NADECO in its state of the nation address to mark the 62nd independence anniversary said the current democratic system of government had not tackled the pressing challenges of nationhood.

The statement was signed by NADECO Chieftain, Chief Ayo Opadokun.

He said the address was the outcome of the National Steering Committee meetings held between 22nd and 25th September, 2022, where they reviewed the State of the Nation since the commencement of the Fourth Republic in 1999.

The group observed that Nigeria was “forcefully coupled together for the political and economic interests of the imperialist United Kingdom of Great Britain at the great expense of the heterogeneous indigenous ethnic nationalities along with foreign migrants with their different languages, religions, customs, traditions, cultures, artefacts, folklore, mores, morals, etc. had remained unsustainable colonial misadventure of the 19th century.”

According to NADECO, “the Nigerian State must accept the fact that whether she likes it or not, Nigerians had never at any democratic assembly accepted the suspension and abrogation of the Independence Constitution by the politicians in uniform neither have they voluntarily accepted the militarily imposed prohibitive Executive Presidential System.”

The statement added,  “Therefore, the current dubious rat race to hold elections in the midst of aggravated security crises, political instability, unbelievable depth of economic deprivations and misery is a misplaced priority and insensitivity to the popular, nation-wide demand for a return to federal constitutional governance because a sectional agenda is being foisted and programmed to retain its hold on the country at all cost.

“No one is fooled to believe that the election is to consolidate democracy considering how the two main so called parties abandoned rotational presidency agreement for equity, but to further the imposition of ethnic agenda which has denied Nigeria the chance to provide modern, transparent, people oriented governance and where the popular will of the people is treated with the highest regard.

“What the Nigerian State and its power brokers, accomplices, politicians of questionable conducts, ethnically selected bureaucrats and their minions who must play politics at all costs are attempting to do is beguiling Nigerians to forget the illegalities, unjust, and inequitable laws and policies they have severally imposed on us and insisting that those outrageous deeds be accepted as given while we build on them no matter how crooked they constitute as foundations for democracy and democratization generally. Most Nigerians are not simpletons as they take us to be.”