From Maduabuchi Nmeribeh, Kano
The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has kicked against the doctrine of party supremacy in a democratic setting.
He hinged his position on the fact that the principle encourages dictatorship and allows party leaders to install themselves in office.
Tinubu spoke his mind on the matter on Tuesday in Kano where he slammed past leaders, especially of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for ruining the countrya��s economy.
Represented by the Oyo state Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, as the special guest of honour at the 17th annual symposium to mark the 35th Memorial Anniversary of Malam Aminu Kano, Tinubu who reflected on party ideology, asserted that ideology and principle must hold supremacy, adding that, “calling for party supremacy by and for its own sake is nothing but an invitation for people to install and then perpetuate themselves in positions of authority in the party.
“They will arrogate power so that they come to dictate to the rest of the party instead of serving the collective will of members.
“Recent events in our party confirm this observation. Party discipline is vital but even more vital is adherence to humane and democratic ideals and principles. With such principles, a party exercises internal democracy, which better enables it to govern democratically,” he said.
The event was organised by Mambayya House, Aminu Kano Centre for Research and Training, Bayero University, Kano (BUK), with the theme: a�?Democratic Governance and the Imperatives of Party Ideology and Supremacy.’
Tinubu said that the PDP’s years of misrule and massive looting was responsible for the hardship and sufferings Nigerians now face.
He, however, said that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration had remained committed to cleaning the rot in the polity.
“The Buhari’s government has spent time cleaning the rot and plugging the holes in the corrupt system the others had institutionalised as their strategic policy and national direction.
“The APC has been working to steer our national ship from this awful direction in order that we may bring the people and their welfare into safe harbour,” he stated.
According to him, “had the billions of dollars and trillions of naira that were stolen by past governments been used for the people , the country would have been able to acquire the infrastructure and implement the programmes that bring greater development and economic justice to all
“Instead, the select few ate more than their bellies could contain. Distorting the cause of justice and hijacking the means of national welfare, they wildly enriched themselves and left the average Nigerian to dine on the passing wind,” he said.
The Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, who was the guest of honour, noted that the questions raised at the symposium could best be answered by studying the life and times of Malam Aminu Kano, who he described as upright and down-to-earth.
The chief host and Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Usman Alhaji Usman, urged politicians to aspire to follow the footsteps of Aminu Kano who he described as a man of integrity, honesty, simplicity and transparency.
Party supremacy doctrine dictatorial, says Tinubu
