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Prof. Ben
Nwabueze (Photo: PREMIUM TIMES)
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Project Nigeria Movement,
a coalition of civil society groups led by respected lawyer, Ben Nwabueze, on
Tuesday called on whoever emerges winner of the March 28 presidential election
to form a Government of National Unity, according to PREMIUM TIMES.
The report continues:
In a communiqué issued at
the end of its meeting in Lagos, the group stated that given the neck-to-neck
race between President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,
and Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, APC, the winner takes it
all arrangement would no longer fashionable.
The group, therefore,
advised both the two frontline candidates to consider forming a unity
government if any of them wins the election.
According to the group,
the circumstances thrown up during campaigns by the two major political parties
made it imperative for such coalition.
“Whoever wins the
election will constitute his government with ministers drawn from both parties
or from all the parties that contested the presidential election in a manner to
be agreed under a formal accord,” part of the communiqué reads.
The group, however,
praised Mr. Jonathan for convening the 2014 National Conference but advised
Nigerians to support a candidate based on their party manifesto, antecedent,
character and intellectual depth.
It also listed other
qualities of the would-be president to include good educational background and
ability to provide effective presidential leadership.
“Without prejudice to the
provision of the Constitution, effective presidential leadership requires a
president with good and sound qualifications,” the group said.
“In particular, it
requires good education up to a minimum level of a university first degree or
its equivalent.
“With the academic
knowledge, intellectual insights and mental orientation, ideas and perception it
imparts as well as brilliant, acute and creative intellect and ability to
combine ideas and power, intellectualism and politics.”
The group noted that the
implementation of the report of the 2014 National Conference can only be
accomplished through a new constitution adopted and approved by Nigerians
through a referendum.
“Accordingly, President
Goodluck Jonathan must, likewise General Buhari, make an unequivocal public
statement avowing their commitment, if re-elected, to implement the decisions
of the National Conference in the way and manner suggested above.”
“President Jonathan’s
public statement must also avow a commitment to expand his Transformation
Agenda to embrace the entire polity and society to rid and cleanse them of the
prevailing corruption, moral degeneracy and decadence as well as the pervasive
social injustice, inequity and inequality.”
The group argued that
Nigeria is in dire need of a social and ethical revolution led by a president
imbued with a revolutionary fervour to change things and create a new and
better society; a president capable of mobilizing the people for the right
purpose.
On the planned use of
card reader during the forthcoming elections, the group noted that Nigeria has
been embarrassed by rigging in past elections and if the card readers could
stop rigging, it should be used.
“We urge INEC to do
everything to make sure that what they have now works and it’s used for the
election. We are fully in support of the use of card readers,” he said.
The group, however, noted
that the use of military for election is unconstitutional.
On the postponement of
elections, the senior lawyer said it was a blessing in disguise adding that it
has given INEC more time to get itself fully ready for the exercise while also
enabling political parties to review their campaign strategies to make them
more issue based.
“But
more important than the justification or otherwise of the postponement is a
guarantee that the period before, during and after the election will be
violence-free and that there will be no further post-postponement for the same
security reason or for any other reason not in accordance with or without the
contemplation of the Constitution,” the communiqué reads.
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