April 15, (THEWILL) – Nigeria risks a major explosion without a credible election, that will urgently resolve the National Question and free indigenous territories from the grip of terrorist cells, Alliance for Yoruba Democratic Movements (AYDM), has said.
AYDM made this known in Lagos after a two-day conference.
The group said those clamouring for self determination are justified by the excruciating pains imposed on the people, coupled with the historical injustice.
“As we speak, our forests, high and lowlands in the South West up to Kogi and Kwara States, are occupied by armed gangs. The farmers can no longer farm, women are raped, daughters gang-raped and children kidnapped and murdered, pushing the entire territories into a state of siege and anomie. The people nurse bottled up grievances that can explode at any time”, the AYDM said.
The group warned that time was running out for Nigeria amidst the bleak prospect of a free, credible and fair elections and the desperation of the ruling clique to ward off the real choice of Nigerians.
It said Nigeria is currently in the grip of a reckless, corrupt, inept, but defiant class whose major objective is to sustain the status quo at all costs, saying, “The small cell that rule the country wants to impose Presidential candidates on the people, a candidate that will continue with the same horrifying agenda of human persecution.”
It further said Nigeria faces major sources of implosion that can drag the country into turmoil, unless the people themselves seize their own destiny with their two hands.
In the communique signed by its General Secretary, Mr Popoola Ajayi, AYDM said the 2023 elections face three major threats, the lack of resolution of the National Question through a new constitution, the desperate attempt by the Northern cabal to retain power in the zone and terrorism, which the group said appears to enjoy the support of some state actors and the dwindling participation of the people in the electoral process leading to the disempowerment of millions of people in the South West.
“A credible election driven by public inclusion, the emergence of an honest leader with local and international appeal that can tackle past and present nightmares, the South producing the next President are not enough, but offer the prospects of leading the country from her present dark and harrowing tunnel”, the AYDM said.
The group said the people of the old Western Region are disillusioned by the political system, corruption and ineptitude, which continue to lower their enthusiasm for participation in the electoral process.
According to AYDM, “increasingly in the South West we are seeing a situation where less than 10 percent of the population chose their elected leaders which is different from the past when the population of voters was enough to checkmate the prospect of dishonest and anti-people elements.
It added that the historic false population figures have been exploited by the ruling clique to manipulate elections and exclude millions of Nigerians from expressing their political desires out of their own free, prior and informed consent.
The group said a section of the people put their hope on the fact that a honest, transparent and progressive leader may emerge in the Presidential election that will bring hope in the place of forlorn despise
“The AYDM will work with many groups for greater inclusion, which requires people taking their destiny into their own hands to create a paradigm shift in the electoral process by using their numbers to assert their demands backed by mandate protection.”
The group said massive political activism of the people, their popular expressions and raw determination to challenge the ruling cabal are important in the search for peace, security and a prosperous future for the long suffering people of the South West.”
The conference had over 1000 delegates drawn from the Old Western Region plus Kogi and Kwara States. It also had representatives from Ivory Coast, Benin Republic, Ghana and leaders of Pan-Yoruba groups in Northern Nigeria and the South South.
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
