By Francis Sadhere
Former Minister of Defence (State) under President Olusegun Obasanjor, Chief (Dr.) Roland L. Oritsejafor has described the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) General Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) as a symbol of failure.
Oritsejafor who spoke to journalist recently at his private home in Warri, Delta State, said that the former general has nothing new to offer Nigerians other than his old traditional ways of doing things.
He stressed that Buhari is too old to be the Presidential candidate of APC because according to him, Buhari has contested for the same position severally and his has failed severally Oritsejafor noted that APC would have fielded a more vibrant and young candidate who would have gained the sympathy of the populace, stressing that there were more qualified younger candidates in the party that they could have projected to the people.
Oritsejafor said: “He (Buhari) is a symbol of the old traditional way of doing things and a symbol of failure. Since he has been contesting elections in the country, has not won any election. If you are doing the same thing every time and it is not yielding result you have to change your method and I think that is what APC should have known. How will you explain this? Is it not madness? Abraham Lincoln survived because the people of America believed in him. But if Buhari is able to convince them that he is the better candidate and they believed him then so be it. If not there are other younger candidates in the party that they should have projected instead of Buhari. That is my personal opinion.”
He said things were no longer the same as when Gen. Buhari was the military head of state, noting that so many things have changed and that we are in democracy and not military. He added that Buhari cannot do what he did during the military era because in democracy you cannot use force to rule the people.
Speaking on the February 2015 elections, Dr. Oritsejafor advised politicians to eschew violence and allow the people to make their choice, saying that politics of bitterness will only sink the country down into the abyss of darkness. He said politics should not be a do or die affair as democracy has made it easy for the people to change their government after a period of time and if the government of the day does perform they have the right to kick them out.
While saying that the people need to change their attitude towards politics and government, Dr. Oritsejafor said that the era where people see government as business was over, stressing that more emphasis should be placed on human, capital and infrastructural development that will allow the people use their education, competence, versatility to create wealth and employment for themselves.
He therefore, urged politicians to educate their supporters on the need to be peaceful during and after the elections, adding that equipping themselves with their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) was more powerful than any form of violence.
“We have to move towards perfection. We need to move away from foundational and primordial issues and move ahead. We need to put in place education of our people and ourselves on how our attitude toward politics will change. It should be politics without bitterness where you let the people decide the type government they want. Thank God that democracy is a system whereby after a certain period of time, you will be made to go back to the people. They will judge us in terms of how we respond to their needs. That is why I key into the human capital and infrastructural development.
“Making government a business is no longer the in-thing, but creating the environment that will let us use our education, competence, versatility to create wealth and employment is what we should be fighting for. I am appealing to politicians not use violence in this election. Let us be instrument of development. If you ideas are not accepted by the people then let it be. We have to educate them and tell them the truth. Another thing I want them to know is that if you do not have your PVC you cannot be in my political fora. Your PVC is more powerful than violence. I have my PVC with me. I should live by example,” said Oritsejafor.
On how the government can prevent post election violence, Dr. Oritsejafor advised that security should not be left only in the hands of the professionals but that security should be the business of every Nigerian.
He said: “I think they have taken the right steps but I must let you know that it is all about the people. Nigerians know what they want. There are committees put in place that bring people from the different divides to come and talk. I know that my brother pastor Ayo and other religion leaders are working hard to enlighten the people on the need to remain calm during and after the elections. When you talk about security, you have to be proactive. It is not only about those leaders but about us. The media also has a role to play. They have to keep telling the people why they need to be peaceful. Let the mandate of the people stand. If the party of your choice does not come out victorious there is no need to be violent.”
