A spokesman for the Labour Party (LP), Kenneth Okonkwo says both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should go into competition to determine who failed Nigeria the more.
Okonkwo stated this on Channels Television’s Politics Today hours after the party’s flag bearer, Peter Obi discussed his plans at Chatham House, a world-leading policy institute and think-tank forum.
Obi, 61-year-old ex-governor of Anambra State, had said the “structure” currently in Nigeria is that of criminality and it has impoverished the West African country. He, therefore, vowed to dismantle the “structure” if elected next month.
Commenting on Obi’s Chatham House appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Okonkwo slammed the dominant parties boasting of commanding structures.
“My principal talks about destroying the structure of criminality and you and I know that these parties have been talking about structures…the PDP and the APC should go into competition to know who failed more.
“What the APC is talking about PDP is absolutely correct. What PDP is talking about PDP is absolutely correct. What the APC is talking about itself is absolutely a lie. What PDP is talking about itself is absolutely a lie,” the LP spokesman said.
Okonkwo said Obi would ensure the amendment of the constitution to restructure the country’s security apparatus if elected in the February 25 presidential election.
The LP spokesman also said the current and previous governments of the APC and the PDP have not been able to devolve policing because “there is no sincerity of purpose”.
“Would you give such an amendment to a Tinubu that does not believe in restructuring and state police and did not even state it in his manifesto? You think it would work? No. Dictators like to operate outside the state apparatus to achieve what they want,” he said.
“Our problem in Nigeria is not the scarcity of good government plans, ideas, and policies. No, we are not bereft of that… What we have is a combination of institutional weakness and a lack of political will. That is why my principal is offering a new brand of leadership that is transformative, responsive, responsible, and less transactional.
“So, what we are looking for now is that President who will go in with Executive Orders. With that, you can achieve security.”
According to him, regional security outfits like the Amotekun Corps should be allowed to bear “powerful weapons to be able to engage the terrorists who have superior weapons”. “Why should the Federal Government not grant them under existing laws?” he queried.
In a viral video where one Michael Achimugu alleged that PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar used Special Purpose Vehicles to usurp funds as vice-president between 1999 and 2007, Okonkwo said the PDP Presidential Campaign Council denying Achimugu is not enough, the council should go ahead to sue the fellow for libel if indeed the allegation of money laundering against Atiku is not true.
“When you deny you go to court and sue the person for libel for defamation, for slander. In the absence of that, that is an admission because they (Atiku’s campaign council) said they want to leave it (the matter). Michael Achimugu dared them to deny that he didn’t work with Atiku,” the LP chieftain said.
