“The major parties, right now, have image deficit, discipline deficit, commitment deficit and leadership deficit…”
Philip Nwosu
Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has advised the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to stand out in the Nigerian political terrain and avoid the same mistakes that have affected the smooth running of major political parties in the country.
The former president, who spoke when he received the National Working Committee of the ADC, led by its Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu, in Abeokuta on Tuesday, said in such a short period, the party has become a force to reckon with in Nigeria’s politics.
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He urged ADC to be prudent and uphold its uniqueness of being a members’ driven party, where its members will be the the financiers and not a few money bags. Obasanjo said being prudent would help, in no small way, in preventing the party from toeing the path of past governments, in terms of using ‘government money, directly or indirectly, to fund the party’.
He said: “I’m happy the party has become a credible alternative to the other two parties in such a short period. I’ve said it many times that I’m not a member of ADC; I’ll, however, provide guidance where necessary. You have to make sure you are guided by the vision of the party at all times, and continue to accord women and youths the chance to participate without discrimination.
“The major parties, right now, have image deficit, discipline deficit, commitment deficit and leadership deficit. Once you are not found wanting in all these areas, you would have conquered the major challenges of running an ideal party that would produce credible leaders; and there must be internal democracy.”
The former president advised ADC leaders, at all levels, to focus on their short, medium and long-term objectives, noting that, in the short term, ADC would have an impressive number of lawmakers at the House of Representatives and Senate, control a good number of state governments and, also, work in collaboration with other parties to form the right government at the federal level.
“Once this is done, your short-term objective has been achieved. You can then focus on your medium-term objective. However, the only thing that can uphold a political party is morality. You can’t be a party condoning indiscipline,” he said.