A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, on Friday recounted how the late former President Muhammadu Buhari actively resisted former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s bid for a third term in office, thereby safeguarding Nigeria from becoming a one-party state.
According to Okechukwu, Buhari convened strategic meetings with members of the National Assembly at the time, urging them to block the proposed tenure extension, a move that ultimately thwarted the controversial plan.
He said the late former President reinforced and made former Senate President Ken Nnamani and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Masari to appreciate the support of greatest number of Nigerians, thereby, ending one-party state despite the N50 million alleged handout to each member of the National Assembly.
In a statement by him, the former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria, VON, said “it is rare for one to escape the ugly cacophony of voices emanating more from eminent patriots, who are bemoaning our dangerous slide into one-party-state.”
The statement reads partly: “In this era (1999-2007), Chief Olusegun as president nearly subverted our fledgling democracy.
“Accordingly, we start first by delving into why Buhari’s incarnate is imperative at this point in time, and how Buhari halted one-party state when it was stoked in the 2000s.
“It is with nostalgia that one remembers how Buhari rose to his feet when news filtered out that Obasanjo was allegedly plotting for 3rd Term, in 2006.
“Buhari’s steadfast opposition, strategic meetings with National Assembly members, ensured that National Assembly did not allow the 3rd Term plot to stand.
“He reinforced and made Ken Nnamani and Aminu Masari, to appreciate the support of greatest number of Nigerians.
“This is the death kneel of One-Party State, inspite of N50 million handout allegedly doled out to each member of the National Assembly.
“This brief cursory analysis is how Buhari utilized his arsenal and halted the institutionalisation of One-Party State.”
