Dr. SKC Ogbonnia, a leader in the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a past presidential candidate, has disparaged the ruling party, calling it a refuge for corrupt kingpins who were indicted while members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a statement on Monday, Ogbonnia said that neither the party’s presidential candidate Ahmed Tinubu nor the PDP’s Atiku Abubakar could fight corruption in Nigeria with a clear conscience.
He said, “Today, with Asiwaju Tinubu as its National Leader and presidential candidate, the APC does not appear to have any ideological, moral, or ethical difference with the much-discredited PDP. Today, my party has shamelessly become a safe haven for corrupt kingpins indicted while in PDP.
“To make matters worse, the two presidential candidates of APC and PDP, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar, respectively, are two of the most perfidious poster boys for Nigeria’s corrupt oligarchy. In short, neither Atiku nor Tinubu can in good conscience campaign against corruption.
“It is pertinent to note that no Nigerian leader, whether military or civilian, has ever assumed the governance of the country with the degree of mercenary influence cum notoriety commonly equated with Atiku and Tinubu.”
He claimed to still be a part of the ruling APC, but he joined several other Nigerians in endorsing Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party as the country’s future leader in an effort to save what was left of the nation.
“Though I remain a member of All Progressives Congress (APC), I must not support its presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The decision to endorse the candidate of an opposition party did not come easy. But there comes a time to say: enough is enough.
He added, “A puzzling preface is that neither fellow party members nor ordinary Nigerians can claim to know who Ahmed Tinubu truly is. Everything about the man is shady—from his name, state of origin, the schools attended, certificates received, his record in America to his true source of income, let alone any true intention of seeking the presidency, apart from an arrogant claim that it is his turn to rule Nigeria.
“Besides the shady background, series of events also show that Tinubu does not have any good sense of equity, justice, fairness, and patriotism—virtues he claims to promote. The truth is that Bola Ahmed Tinubu is even more insensitive about the Nigerian state and her problems than President Muhammadu Buhari. Further, it is a common knowledge that the APC National Leader no longer possesses the physical fitness to explore the Nigerian presidency, but it has equally become very apparent that he no longer has the mental capacity.
