Political Elites Hiding Under Restructuring To Gain Power In 2019-Agbakoba
Former President of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), Tuesday said calls by political elites, prominent Nigerians and groups for restructuring of the country is a bait being used in the country to gain power in the 2019 general elections.
Agbakoba who disclosed this at a press briefing in his Lagos home at Ikoyi area of the state warned that it would be in the interest of Nigerians not to listen to the conspiracy of the political elites whom he accused of constantly pulling a wool over their faces.
Agbakoba whose briefing dwelt on, “The future of Nigeria, restructuring issues, self-determination and how to go,” urged Nigerians to ignore such calls.
“It is not in the interest of Nigerians to listen to the conspiracy of the elites who are constantly pulling a wool over their faces,” he warned.
Agbakoba said more than anything, the personalities of those calling for restructuring had made it look as another political bait being used to attain power in the 2019 election, adding that the political elites were regrouping ahead of 2019 election and using restructuring.
“The political elites are regrouping ahead of 2019 election and they are using restructuring. They may come up with any arrangement which may be in the All Progressives Congress (APC) or Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or any other platform as the election approaches.
“And because Nigerians are easy to fool, we will still go out and vote for them and after the election, they get what they want and carry on by still inflicting the same pain they campaign against to get power. So it becomes a vicious circle that must be broken.
“Again, if you ask the ordinary Nigerians on the streets, the buzzword, ‘restructure’ what does it mean? They don’t know. They don’t understand. So, I’m asking Nigerians to be weary of politicians,” Agbakoba further warned.
The former CLO president, who is a maritime lawyer, contrary to expectations in some quarters, ruled out the possibility of the 2014 National Conference report solving the country’s problems.
According to him, the challenges confronting Nigerians are deeper, saying that the cleavages to be exploited by political elites cut across religious and ethnic divides.
He pointed out that religions, ethinicities as well as Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) were balkanised, saying that the only institution that remained intact in Nigeria was the political institution of the elite as they (elite) all spoke one language of power, which he noted they all understood irrespective of political cleavages.
According to him, for Nigeria to get it right, there must be a discussion as to whether all the people wanted to live together or not, which he said must then be followed with the establishment of a true Federalism.
