MARCEL MBAMALU
A leading professor of political economy, Prof Pat Utomi, has sounded the alarm on the looming threat to Nigeria’s democracy, citing a pattern of destabilization of political parties, manipulation of the judiciary, and reduction of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to an extension of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement on behalf of the Big Tent, Concerned Professionals, and the Restoration Group, Prof Utomi expressed dismay at the current state of the nation, warning that Nigeria is on the path to one-man rule and totalitarianism.
Join our WhatsApp Channel“We are on a march towards totalitarianism and one man rule,” Prof Utomi said, citing recent elections and Afrobarometer surveys that show widespread voter apathy and despondency among Nigerians.
The professor called for urgent action to save Nigeria’s democracy, proposing five critical steps to pull the country back from the brink:
1. Repeal of the Electoral Act and replacement with a law that ensures free and fair elections, including automatic electronic transmission of results.
2. Cancellation of the proposed revalidation of voters’ registration, which he described as a ploy to invalidate voters in areas not favourable to the ruling party.
3. Removal of the current INEC leadership, which he said has lost the trust of the people.
4. Professionals, including lawyers, doctors, journalists, and teachers, should call out complicit members and mobilize protests and boycotts to demand credible elections.
5. Elections should be moved two weeks back to ensure Nigerians participate without hindrance.
Prof Utomi drew parallels with Argentina’s history, warning that Nigeria risks following a similar path of institutional decay and economic collapse if the current trend is not reversed.
“The road to Argentina is the road to one-man rule,” he said, urging Nigerians to join hands to save the country.
The professor lamented the current state of the nation, with 130 million people living in poverty, and called on Nigerians to rise up and demand change.
“We must not allow them to cause devastation in our land,” he said. “We are calling on all to join hands and save Nigeria.”
The statement has sparked widespread concern and calls for action among Nigerians, with many echoing Prof Utomi’s warning that the country’s democracy is indeed in peril.
READ FULL TEXT OF PAT UTOMI’S SPEECH:
Distinguished Gentlemen of the 4th Estate
Dear compatriots,
TIME TO SAVE NIGERIA …AGAIN
(Statement on the looming clouds of the end of Democracy in Nigeria)
I feel quite sad that I have to address you again on matters bordering on national crisis in the polity that threatens the peace and good government of Nigeria.
When INEC, ostensibly responding to whispers that elements in the Federal government of Nigeria were so desperate, in response to polling that the APC would lose the next elections by huge margins and were willing to risk everything, even the unity of Nigeria, to stay in power, removed names of ADC principal officers from INEC portal, many lamented that Nigeria was on the brink again, because of the ambition of a few. The urgent need to save Nigeria became a matter of distressing urgency.
Many of my colleagues in previous national emancipation struggles like Ali.mun go, June 12, and Save Nigeria Group that produced the doctrine of necessity, and the present Movement for Credible Elections, quickly met and decided the current threat to democracy is more grave than the previous ones, including the Abacha five fingers of the same leprose hands episode.
We are here alerting Nigerians to a pattern of destabilisation of political parties with the use of judiciary capture, the reducing of INEC to an extension of the APC and manipulation of the security of the vote through abuse of institutions of public authority.
These have created despondency among many and voter apathy across the country as highlighted by recent elections and Afrobarometer surveys.
Many are convinced we are on a march towards totalitarianism and one man rule.
We have come to recognize that to save our democracy is a task that must be done.
We are therefore calling for critical decisions that can pull the country back from the brink:
1. A repeal of the electoral Act that was hurriedly rushed past the National Assembly ignoring Due Process. The replacement law which should include automatic electronic transmission to IREV should show the will to have free and fIr elections,
2. A calling off of the proposed revalidation of the voters Registration. The nature of the voters Registration since 2010 make that unnecessary except as a ploy to ‘invalidate’ voters in areas not considered favourably disposed to the extant order.
3. A change of guard at INEC. We have seen enough in a short time to call for the resignation of the current INEC. Democracy looks set to suffer on their watch. The current chairman does not enjoy the of the people. He must be removed immediately.
4. All Professionals, especially lawyers, Doctors, Journalists Teachers etc must begin to call out their members who appear complicit, and call people out to match in protest and use mass boycotts to enthrone the will of the people over narcissistic politicians.
5. Moving elections at least two weeks back towards the original dates as many Nigerians do not return to base after end of year festivities until about the 25th of January.
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We make these proposals cognisant that frustrations from the state of the nation can lead to a descent into anarchy if people are provoked int sparks of social uprisings we can ill afford.
As a national vanguard movement we worry that those stoking trouble may not be sensitive to where similar political actions in history have taken other countries.
THE ROAD TO ARGENTiNA AND ONE MAN RULE
There is nothing new under the Sun. As such it is helpful to review historical parallels and the consequences of those experiences.
In 1928 Argentina and the US were more or less at par.
Some even considered the prospects of Argentina to be brighter than that of the US.
By the 1980s Argentina was down to West Africa level GDP and the US was by far the pre-eminent economy in the world. What happened? Argentina, like with our current dominant party, had leaders that dominated and damaged national institutions in the manner the judiciary, INEC and law enforcement agencies are being abused.
It is now received wisdom that what separates failing states from flourishing nations are the strength of their institutions and values.
We therefore have a duty to protect the future for our children before the ways of the current government result in greater damage.
We certainly cannot afford the road to Argentina which the current administration seems to desire to travel on.
THE STATE OF NIGERIA AND WHY DESPERATION PERVADES
We have been falling deeper and deeper into debt and borrowing more as if we are in a debt Ponzi scheme.
Propagandizing the Illusion of progress has clearly not worked. Stabilization policies have as a goal enabling debt repayment.
It was achieved with SAP but ruined education and healthcare where we had made significant gains. They are doing it again and getting applause from the same people who reminded us last week that 130 million of us are in debilitating poverty. Recall the remarks about the current state of poverty by the World Bank last week.
Misery dominates our land. Widows are crushed by the burden of survival, children are eating off trash bins and multitudes are homeless and battling mental health consequences of our misery index, yet people who have no solutions to our problems belch apre mois le deluge. There will not be disaster when the people chase them out.
As massacres like that of Palm Sunday on the plateau add to the pain in the land the machine politics people see a routing at the polls and are trying to cause devastation in there land in their desperation. We must not allow them
We are therefore calling on all to join hands and Save Nigeria.
