By CHARLES IWUOHA

As the All Progressives Congress (APC) flags off its membership revalidation nationwide, the Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, has hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for promoting the doctrine of internal democracy in the ruling party.

In a statement on Sunday, Okechukwu saluted President Buhari for promoting the doctrine of internal democracy during the flag-off of APC membership revalidation at Daura, Katsina State on Saturday.

The VON boss praised the President for upholding the internal democracy and hence, bidding goodbye to imposition of candidates in APC.

“One salutes President Buhari for promoting the doctrine of internal democracy, hence bidding goodbye to imposition of candidates in the APC during primary elections,” Okechukwu said.

“I am glad that Mr. President gave life oxygen to Section 7(viii) of the APC’s Constitution, which states interalia, ‘To promote and uphold the practice of internal democracy at all levels of The Party’s organisation’.

“Taking cognizance of upholding this core tenet of democracy and repositioning our great party, Mr President proclaimed that, ‘No more crowning from Abuja downward. Let the people know this and appreciate it that they are in charge of their constituencies and they are in charge of the party.

“Without any incentive they must come out and defend the party at any level so that we, you and the party will feel secure and comfortable because the old-time of putting hands in the pocket is over because the money is no longer available,” he added.

Okechukwu further posited that Mr. President, as the foremost leader of the party, has undoubtedly raised the Red-Flag to ubiquitous ‘Food is Ready politicians’ who hang around the corridors of power at Abuja, and surreptitiously reap offices meant for hardworking apparatchik of the party.

“In fact to avoid the huge loss inflicted on our great party by the crass imposition of candidates in the 2018 primary elections, by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and cohorts, we must avoid the Red-Flag of undue endorsement of candidates.

“For the avoidance of doubt, if not for crass imposition of candidates in our party in 2018, the stocks of our sister political party, the PDP, could have crashed badly.

“Imposition in APC elevated the fortunes of a dying PDP, that today, they can afford to bandy fake news, make noise, fail to pay the bailout funds and subvert eloquent policies of Mr. President like the Social Investment Programmes, and Executive Order 10,” he said.

He called on APC leadership at all levels to strictly adhere to Mr. President’s Red-Flag proclamation that the party style and structure should no longer operate from Abuja downwards, but from the ward level upwards, so that people could defend the party and its policies vena at every level.

Okechukwu described President Buhari’s proclamation as the height of the doctrine of internal democracy for all and the surest route to more participatory democracy and thus, advised those who are nursing the idea of imposition to heed the call made by Mr. President, “as imposition does not enhance the growth of democracy. Imposition downgraded the PDP, let’s avoid this shithole.”

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