A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba, has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Na’abba, from Kano State, was Speaker between 1999 and 2003.
He announced his resignation in a letter addressed to the APC Chairman of his Sharada Ward of Kano Municipal Local Government.
A copy of his resignation letter read: “This is to notify you of my resolve to resign from the APC effective today, December 5, 2018,” he wrote.
“My decision to resign from the party follows the cavalier manner in which both the federal government, states controlled by the APC and the APC itself are being run, as a result of which anybody who has eyes to see only sees doom and not prosperity for our dear country.”
The politician based his decision on the manner congresses and primary elections were conducted in the party.
He said there was clearly no doubt in his mind, and the minds of visionary Nigerians, that the APC administration is characterised by “lack of consultation, crass incompetence, lack of vision, arrogance, and dangerous fixation.”
He made reference to defections in the National Assembly as a sign of the failure of the APC.
“It is a measure of the incompetence of the APC government that after all is said and done, it has lost a Senate President and a Speaker of the House of Representatives and many others for reasons that border on meanness, lack of simple management skills and capacities and a great measure of arrogance.”
“It is also a measure of the incompetence of the party that there is almost no state in the federation where there is no conflict .”
“While it is generally accepted that no human organisation can be rancour-free, it is disheartening that these conflicts in the party are inflicted by its leaders, some of whom can be said to be poorer in human qualities than the poorest of men.”
He alleged that governors and some party leaders have hijacked the party, doing with it as they wish. He accused them of the imposition of party leaders and subversion of internal democracy and inclusive governance.
“In their endeavour to perpetuate themselves on the system, they not only snatched away the political rights of the people but also blocked all avenues with which and within which they would be held to account.”
“Because under these conditions no person can be politically mobile except he becomes a sycophant, it becomes necessary for me to speak up.”
“This I did many times, unfortunately only to be met with complicit silence.”
He said the malcontent within the party portends a grave danger to the stability and even existence of Nigeria adding that the situation is not helped by a president under whose watch all these negative traits are recurring.
“He instead prefers to give the country a lethargic and insular leadership informed by grudges, hatred and a general lack of understanding of what democracy and compassion are all about.
“All these masqueraded as war on corruption.”
Although the former speaker did not state the party he is defecting to, he is expected to join the main opposition party, PDP. – Thisday.
