The All Progressives Congress (APC) Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Emma Eneukwu, has described the one-party state allegation against the party as a ploy to blackmail, weaken or slow down its progress.
Eneukwu stated this on Wednesday in Enugu while reacting to the 26 years uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria.
He said that the current sing-song of some opposition politicians about Nigeria gravitating toward one-party state was an ‘alarmist deception’ rather than a ‘sincere position’.
According to him, it is a strategy to either blackmail, weaken or slow down the ruling party, maintaining that this would not work.
“APC is working and delivering on its mandate to Nigerians. Nigeria, in spite of all the challenges we met on the ground, is working and democracy is progressing.
“This is the 26th unbroken year of democracy and Nigeria is matching on. If you talk of a one-party state, it is a forceful stoppage of other parties from doing what they want to do. But that is not the case here.
“APC has allowed free discussions, associations and events as well as their planned coalitions.
“But the coalition has refused to fly because Nigerians know better; they know they cannot be deceived again for narrow interests. They (opposition politicians) lack confidence in calling them (Nigerians) for the so-called coalition,” he said.
Eneukwu stated that President Bola Tinubu had remained focused in revitalising the economy.
“While the opposition politicians have been going up and down to distabilise him, he has remained focused and we are reaping the fruit of that visionary leadership.
“People are talking of coalition. Tinubu, himself is the coalition. All progressives, all APC members, prospective defectors and all patriotic and forward-looking Nigerians are part of this Tinubu’s winning coalition,” he said.
The APC chieftain said that the magnetic force pulling prominent politicians and Nigerians to the ruling party had been Tinubu’s clear show of courage, vision and capacity to govern the country and lead APC to incremental progress over the years.
He described APC under Tinubu’s leadership as a shining example of success everyone, especially politicians and prominent Nigerians, want to associate with.
Eneukwu commended the Tinubu-led administration for funding regional development commissions to complement what state governors were doing in the areas of infrastructure and other social amenities in all the geo-political zones.
‘The commissions are good developmental initiatives which the APC-led Federal Government has engendered; and the idea behind their creation is that there should be no end to efforts to take development to the nooks and crannies of our country.
“I see the regional commissions as a catalyst to achieving that in the near future,” he said.
Eneukwu also lauded Tinubu for the huge investment and support to the armed forces and for prioritising security and its funding.
According to him, all hands must be on deck as far as security is concerned, adding: ‘across the world, anywhere you see insecurity being effectively tamed, it is a product of multi-faceted and multi-layered approach’.
“From local governments, vigilantes, forest guards, traditional institutions and state governments to federal institutions, everyone must put in his best; in that way, we will defeat all forms of violent crimes and insecurity,” he said.
While wishing all Nigerians a memorable Democracy Day celebration, Eneukwu noted that Nigeria’s democracy was advancing and that the county was progressing.
“Yes, we are not there yet, but there is steady progress,” he said.
