Controversial elder statesman and northern leader, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, has said both the ruling All Progressives Congress and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party have failed Nigerians.
Muhammed, a second republic Federal lawmaker, described the APC and the PDP as birds of the same feather and a great disappointment to all the citizens of the country, who had expected so much from them in the development of the Nigerian nation.
The Northern leader said this against the backdrop of a statement credited to the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that there would be no automatic ticket for President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.
Speaking with our correspondent, Mohammed commended Tinubu for his statement, arguing that the imposition of candidates led to the down fall of the opposition PDP from power in 2015.
He, however, argued that the APC national leader should have made his views on the 2019 presidential contest known well before now.
The Northern elder statesman added that offering automatic tickets to candidates was antithetical to the tenets of democracy.
He said, “Such approach of imposition was what brought about the downfall of the opposition PDP, when it was still in power.
“I think Tinubu should have spoken earlier than this and he has given his own side. He should be supported, of course. Those who think the President, who seems to be their choice, is above the law or the party, are not getting it right. For me, I don’t care who the person is; the fact is you do not form a habit of giving anybody automatic ticket in a democracy.”
Junaid, who also noted that both parties were not different from each other, said that it wawws hard for anyone to differentiate between the ideologies, philosophies and creed of the APC and the PDP, adding that such a situation posed serious threat to the country’s democracy and would inhibit the desired change expected by Nigerians.
“Some of us have been saying it publicly that there is no difference between APC and PDP and in a democracy, there has to be difference in ideology, creed, philosophy and so on; there must be difference,” he said.
Speaking further on the 2019 election, the elder statesman said, “The election should be credible, free and fair, representing true democratic election. Anything else depends on what stakeholders in the exercise say and plan to do. It is beyond me; it is about those who canvass for votes and those who are going to vote for them.”
