Chief Olu Falae, the National Chairman, Social Democratic Party (SDP), on Thursday urged Nigerians to vote out political parties that failed the country in its 19 years of democratic governance.
Falae made the call in Lokoja at the grand finale of the campaign rally for the election of Alhaji Umar Ahmed Imam, the SDP candidate in Saturday’s Kogi-Koton-Karfe/Lokoja Federal Constituency bye-election.
He urged that the rejection should start with Saturday’s bye-election as a prelude to the 2019 General Elections.
He described the action of the men of the DSS who recently invaded the National Assembly as undemocratic and a call to anarchy.
He urged all Nigerians with democratic credentials to rise in defence of democracy.
“The security forces interfering with the functioning of the legislature is committing an illegality, a rape of constitution; those involved should be arrested and dealt with according to the law because it is a threat to our democracy.”
He added that some Nigerians in 2015 joined forces to fight the then ruling PDP, which was allegedly enmeshed in corruption.
Falae said that the recent developments in the country had shown that the ruling party was not better than PDP.
“A government ruled for 15 years, they messed up; we all clamoured for change — APC — and they are far worse than PDP; so we urge Nigerians to turn to SDP, a party that has a wonderful manifesto and leaders who are impeccable.”
The Afenifere chieftain explained that the illegality of the central government had trickled down to Kogi State, where a former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Umar Imam’s seat was declared vacant for decamping from APC to SDP.
Falae, also a former Minister of National Planning described, the declaration of Lokoja I State Constituency seat at the state House of Assembly vacant as illegal, criminal and unconstitutional.
“That is another evidence of illegality, arbitrariness and malice.
“The law says you can change party if your party is in crisis and factions have developed within the party.
“His party was APC but today we have APC and R-APC, two factions, the conditions for defection legitimately have been fulfilled.
“He exercised his right to leave a party and joined SDP; so it is illegal, criminal and unconstitutional for the house of assembly to declare the seat vacant; we shall take them to court and the court will deal with them.”
Imam, while addressing the crowd after receiving the SDP chairman, urged the electorate to give their support to him, promising not to let them down.
The former speaker, who defected to SDP on July 22, advised the electorate not to allow anybody buy their conscience with money; rather they should exercise their franchise freely.
