2015: Nigeria does not need elections now, says Tunde Bakare

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

The Convener of the Save Nigeria Group (SNG), Pastor Tunde Bakare has warned against holding the forthcoming general election without dealing with the fundamental problems of the country.

Bakare, the overseer of Latter Rain Assembly in a state-of-the-nation address, entitled: “The Nigeria of My Dreams” in Lagos, said that the situation in the country at the moment does not support holding the 2015 general elections.

“We need first to address the underlying problems by joining forces to deal with insurgency, seeking national reconciliation and integration, forging a new people’s constitution, developing a blueprint for development along zonal lines, organizing an accurate census and establishing a truly independent Electoral Commission whose head is not appointed by the President and whose financial allocation will be obtained from the first line charge of the Federation Account before election,” Bakare said.

Bakare, who was a delegate at the just-concluded National Conference, however advocated for a transition government to pilot the affairs of Nigeria, come 2015.

He suggested a maximum of two-years for the transition government, saying, with the security situation in the North East “we cannot sleep.

“Mr. President should not be thinking of election at this time. He should be thinking of curtailing and putting an end to the insurgency. Without that we are just wasting our time and God forbid that there would be similar eruption across the nation.

“What should be of utmost concern to the political class is the implementation of the National Conference recommendations” he said.

According to him, this is not the time to start engaging in the blames that has torn the nation apart.

“With parts of the North under the siege of Boko Haram, what is the guarantee that the result of the 2015 elections will be conclusive”, he stated.

“How will campaign rallies be held in those areas? Will Nigerians in the affected areas not be dis-enfranchised? And what will be the aftermath of the general elections? If we hold elections in this chaotic situation, it will pose greater dangers to Nigeria.

“No part of the nation has the right to say it is their turn to rule the country perpetually as none is a servant to the other.

“We must learn to yield ground to those who have the best ideas. Let the best of the North and the South come together to steer the ship of the nation” he said.

Bakare noted that since 2012, he had consistently alerted the nation that if it failed to fix 2014, there would be no 2015. “I cannot afford to ignore the happenings in the nation”, he emphasised.

“Nigeria has played great roles in helping other African nations find their feet. Let the fittest in Nigeria rise up and accept responsibility” he said.

“We have wasted resources and everyone that have been in charge of past budgets need to come out. All the ministers, Chief of Army Staffs and Naval Staffs that have been there since 1999 must be held accountable, to tell us what happened to the budgetary allocation to the armed forces and if they can come up with it, they either go to jail; law must take if faith. If we don’t do that this situation will continue and it will get worse by the day.”