Ekiti election: Buhari ‘political hypocrite of high order’ – APC presidential aspirant, Ogbonnia

A presidential aspirant under the All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr.
SKC Ogbonnia has stated that whereas Nigeria's democracy assumed an
increasingly positive trajectory under former presidents Umaru Musa
Yar'Adua and Goodluck Jonathan, President Muhammadu Buhari failed in
the recently-conducted Ekiti governorship election by "allowing
fraudulent use of law enforcement agencies, open buying of votes and
thuggery".

While calling the President "a political hypocrite of high order" for
doing the same thing he accused the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, of
doing, Ogbonnia accused Buhari of celebrating failure by felicitating
with Kayode Fayemi, the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate who
won the election.

Pointing out that Buhari came to power vowing to fight corruption and
knows that election financing is the engine of corruption in Nigeria
as exemplified by the alleged looting of the $2.1bn military budget
under Jonathan administration to finance the 2015 elections, he
lamented that the Buhari presidency "has shown no interest whatsoever
in blocking the loopholes that created the problem in the first
place".

The presidential aspirant in a statement issued on Tuesday,
categorically called on his party leader to borrow a leaf from their
two predecessors: Yar'Adua and Jonathan.

He said, "The governorship elections in Anambra and Ekiti States
typically serve as a pretest to Nigeria's general elections in many
aspects. The Anambra election of November 18, 2017, which was
controlled by money bags, sounded a good warning. Instead of the
desired change in line with the electoral laws, the Buhari regime
conveniently joined the PDP to ensure that the following election in
Ekiti of July 14, 2018, was for the highest bidder. This continuing
failure does not bode well for the 2019 general elections. It portends
a troubling future for Nigeria's democracy. It is, definitely, not
worth celebrating."

Ogbonnia then called on the President to, "cease his outlandish
celebration of a tainted victory at Ekiti and harken to emulate his
predecessors Yar'Adua and Jonathan by adding to our democracy. What
Nigeria needs from Buhari is a democracy where the masses,
particularly the youth, have a real chance. We need a democracy where
the people, instead of money, determine who wins or who loses. We
direly need a president of sound egalitarian principles, who is
committed to internal party democracy, so that the nominees of the
parties can emerge through competition, instead of selection by a
corrupt cabal. The Nigerian masses need a president who can
demonstrate serious consequences for bad behavior, including electoral
malpractices. Where there are no consequences for bad behavior, the
bad behavior typically worsens."