Coalition of Pro-Democracy Groups for A Better Nigeria, constituted by June 12 veterans and other pro-democracy activists, has given reasons why former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, among others must be placed on watchlist.

The National Coordinator of the Pro-Democracy coalition, Comrade Awa Bamiji, in a statement on Tuesday night based the groups’ position on their comments on the court ongoing verdicts on the outcomes of the 2023 general elections, which favoured the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in some states and at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.

The Coalition recalled that “When APC lost entire Zamfara State victory, Bayelsa State mandate, All Rivers’ State National Assembly’s Tickets to the PDP, in 2019, under the APC Government, Obasanjo’s Democracy was the best for Africa.

“The same inconstitent Political Leader of our time, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, celebrated 2015 electoral loss of PDP to the APC because he tore his PDP’s membership card in full glare of the Press before the election to pass a strong message to his embattled godson, former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who he alleged he abadoned him since he won the 2011 Presidential election.

“Gullible Nigerians, in and outside the Country, please, be warned! You are completely at loss with reality of the political situation in Nigeria, if you are still part of those that are taking the statement of former President and the unofficial Chairman of Board of Trustees of Labour Party (LP), Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, that “Democracy is not working for us in Africa” serious, because he was only protesting against serial failure of the PDP divided House, his own faction of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which is Labour Party, (LP), that had former Governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, as its 2023 Presidential Candidate; New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) that put forward Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, former Governor of Kano State, as its Presidential Candidate, which is another faction of the same PDP and the remnant they both left behind, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar PDP, after he was being totally abadoned by the 4th faction of the PDP, former Governor Nyesome Wike led G – 5 Governors, for his personal disregard for Rotational Presidency before the Presidential election”, the statement said.

The Coalition noted that they “have the strong feeling that none of these Opposition Leaders and their core Loyalists is ever ready to openly accept the Appeal Court verdicts after identifying technicalities that these Justices are using to knock their cases down one by one, right from the Supreme Court Judgement on the Presidential election based on what Constition says.

“The issue of Mr President inability to win 25% votes in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; reality or otherwise of Chicago State University crecedentials, Over voting, Discovery of counting of thousands of ballot papers without stamps and Signatures, fraudulent primary elections, having non-membership of a Party that sponsored you for election and inconclusiveness of election were all used to decide the fate of various cases.

“These are the flimsy reasons why Judiciary today is compromised accordingly to their “Afro – Dictionary”, that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo didn’t remember to mention yesterday in Abeokuta.

“Appeal Court in Abuja just dismissed the SDP’s petition of Umar Ardo against the PDP Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri, but there would not be protest from the Opposition. Who is deceiving who?

“These same People described Judiciary as “hope of a common man” in 2019, when the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) lost the entire Zamfara State victory after elections, National Assembly, Gubernatorial, Houses of Assembly, the first of its kind in the history of Supreme Court Judgement; Bayelsa State Gubernatorial mandate, a day to inauguration of the Governor – Elect and All Rivers’ State National Assembly’s Tickets to contest, to the PDP, through Apex Court judgements.

“Opposition blind and selfish Protest took another dimension yesterday in Abeokuta, when our 2 – term former Civilian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, at a High-level Consultation, said that Democracy was not working for us in Africa while delivering his speech on “Rethinking Western Liberal Democracy” and he suggested non-existing “Afro-Democracy” as alternative idea without giving any giudeline to support his strange theory.

“Perhaps, he was referring to Monarchical System of Government, which Africa was known for before the advent of Democracy.

“He is disloyal to the Government of the day and yet, he refused to commend Democracies of South Africa, Liberia and Others that stand as shining examples in this same African Continent.

“His eight-year turbulent regime dignified the Third Term Agenda, selling Public Assets for peanuts, massive electoral fraud which brought about the off-season elections, illegal impeachment of sitting Governors, corruption of highest order, insecurity in the land, that later consumed his close friend of Decades, who doubled as serving Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, 22 years ago.

“This is a man that God has blessed so much through rare luck to rule us both as military Head of States and Civilian President, reaping our collective June 12 election actualisatuon struggles in 1999 but yet, he always sees himself as Architect of his own destiny. What an irony?”, the Coalition of Pro-Democracy groups asked.

They added that “While his former Deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, still believes in his feeble wish to bring their enstranged 3 factions together for his 2027 Presidential ambition, every odd inside his own PDP stands against him, let alone the serious challenges he is going to face from two other factions and that of rotational Presidency that led to formation of G-5 Governors late last year. Perhaps, he believes the Group is dead.

“Birds of a feather flock together. Therefore, the People that reason like this must be put under strict monitoring by the Security operatives because having tried their best without getting desired result, they can do anything out of frustration to distabilise the peaceful atmosphere we are all enjoying and appreciating after overcoming the havoc of year 2020 #EndSARS protest while praying for subsidy’s removal economic hardship that is biting all of us to be soon over.

“This Government is just six-month-old and we are seeing its struggles to make things get better, especially in areas of security, wooing foreign investors, Palliatives’ distribution, dialogue with Labour Unions, gradual decline in Naira/Dollar rate, raising hope of resumption of our local refineries starting from next year and more.

“Therefore, 2024 holds something better in stock. It’s going to be a year of New Nigeria, by God’s grace”, the Pro-Democracy groups said.

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