PGF DG challenges APC , PDP in 2023: Don’t take Jega’s claims lightly

Salihu Moh. Lukman, the Director General of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), has challenged the country’s two major political parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to take seriously the recent attack by former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), professor Attahiru Jega.

In recent interviews, Jega claimed that both the PDP and the APC have failed Nigerians, and that Nigerians should not “put their trust in the parties again.”

Lukman, in a statement titled ‘Nigerian Politics and the Fallacy of the PDP – APC Semblance (Part one)’, said that while he lacks evidence to declare the ruling APC a failed political party, his statement should not be taken lightly, given that he is not only an internationally respected political scientist, but also a theoretician and practitioner whose commi

Lukman, who claimed that the PDP’s response through its Spokesperson, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, and the APC’s National Secretary, Sen. James Akpanudoedehe, failed to refute Prof. Jega’s claim that the PDP and APC have failed Nigerians, challenged the political parties to wake up and refute Prof. Jega’s claims ahead of the 2023 elections.

“What exactly is the evidence that led Prof. Jega to such a conclusion?” he asked. Prof. Jega did not provide any specific validation of his conclusion in the BBC interview. One might be tempted to conclude, after listening to and reading the interview script, that Prof. Jega spoke more like a politician in that interview than the thorough scholar he is.”

The Director General expressed concern about how the PDP and APC dismissed Jega’s statement, with the PDP questioning his credentials as a political science professor, calling it one of the dangers of Nigeria’s one-dimensional politics.

“Recall how, sadly, under the APC’s immediate past leadership, a particular person was disqualified from running for election as a party candidate based on a false allegation that his academic qualification was forged,” Lukman said. The APC leadership proceeded to disqualify the person despite the fact that the institution’s Registrar made a public statement confirming that the person graduated from that institution.

“Perhaps it needs to be acknowledged that politicians’ proclivity to switch parties, particularly from the PDP to the APC and vice versa, is frequently cited as justification for semblance. There’s also the issue of ideology, which many argue is lacking in Nigerian politics and is yet another reason why the two parties are so similar.

While it is important to acknowledge the validity of these criticisms, this does not mean that both parties are the same and have failed Nigerians, as Prof. Jega claims. Given that Prof. Jega granted the BBC interview as a member of the People Redemption Party (PRP), it is critical that he be assisted in moving beyond the seductive appeal of one-dimensional politics by investigating the evidence for both the APC and the PDP’s credentials as ruling parties.

“Recognizing that one-dimensional politics encourages politicians in Nigeria to resent criticisms, which is why Prof. Jega has been accused of being unaware of ‘significant milestones,’ politicians, particularly from leading political parties, must be taught that their opinion does not prove success or failure. People who criticize both the PDP and the APC are dismissed, highlighting the problem of intolerance that Nigerian democracy must overcome.

Intolerance causes a significant disconnect between politics and knowledge. As a result, many politicians will continue to develop inferiority complexes, as evidenced by their use of crude language in response to criticism. Either it will be a case of’ignorance,’ as Mr. Ologbondiyan and Sen.

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As Dr. Chris Ngige will refer to criticism of his management of industrial relations in the country, or Comrade Adams Oshiomhole’s reference to people critical of his leadership approaches as “cowards and pigs,” Akpanudoedehe will argue that it is “nauseating, malicious, and nonsensical.” Loyal party members will be intimidated and forced to submit if politicians take a negative attitude toward criticism. Nigerian politics needs to be reshaped so that leaders can accept criticism.

“With this in mind, Prof. Jega, the politician, ran the risk of being distinguished from Prof. Jega, the scholar. Prof. Jega the politician should be the same person as Prof. Jega the thorough scholar, theoretician, and practitioner of evidence-based politics if Nigerian partisan politics is to benefit at all from Prof. Jega’s wealth of knowledge and experience. He Lukman, who highlighted various achievements of the APC, particularly in the areas of social investment, infrastructure, and agriculture, insisted that, unlike the PDP-led government, the APC-led government is not a failure.