
The Interim National Chairman of the opposition Action Democratic Party (ADP), Sen. David Mark, has alleged that Nigeria is on a creeping descent into total civilian dictatorship.
Mark, who spoke shortly after he was unveiled as chairman of the party in Abuja on Wednesday, remarked that the blatant destabilisation and infiltration of all major opposition political parties is aimed at achieving only one objective — to enhance total state capture and leave Nigerians with no alternative or options in 2027.
The former Senate President and Military Governor of Niger State insists that the ADC, which is now mainly an amalgam of politicians from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Labour Party (LP), and the Labour Party (LP), explained that the coalition is to prevent the country’s descent into a one-party state.
He accused the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration of not only indulging in unbridled corrupt practices but has abdicated in its responsibility to ensure the well-being and security of Nigerians.
Said he: “We have never seen a government so much at home with corruption, a government that disdains accountability in all ramifications. A government more concerned with the next election rather than the survival of the ordinary Nigerians.
“A government so totally consumed with politicking that governance is abandoned, while the majority of our people wallow in hunger and poverty.
“We have never seen this level of insecurity across the length and breadth of our nation. Bandits and kidnappers kill Nigerians at will and on a daily basis. Yet, this ongoing tragedy has not moved the government to any action that would stop these mindless killings and stem the tide of needless bloodshed. Indeed, the Nigerian people deserve a government that protects them and makes them feel safe in their own homes.”
Equally disturbing, he alleged, is the total emasculation of the legislative institution, adding never in the history of the country have Nigerians witnessed a National Assembly where legislators — the trustees of the very bastion of our democracy, saddled with the sacred duty to protect Nigerians from misuse of executive power — are reduced to cheerleaders and praise singers of the President, head of the executive arm.
He remarked that, without doubt, the transformation of Nigeria’s National Assembly to a mere appendage of presidential authority is a dangerous conspiracy against the Nigerian people.
He argued that it is the reason why the government is able to get away with various whimsical, unconstitutional policies and actions or inactions that have reduced more Nigerians to abject poverty and widened the boundaries of insecurity and fear.
He said the coalition has the patriotic duty to save the country from bad governance and ineptitude.
He added: “To all those citizens who believe that Nigeria’s democracy is worth fighting for, this coalition is for you. To all youths who face an uncertain future and have questioned the value of their education and their certificates, this coalition is for you.
“To all our brothers and sisters in Benue, Niger, Plateau, Zamfara, Sokoto, Borno, Katsina, Kaduna, Edo, parts of the South East, South West, South-South, who live under constant fear of violence and terror, who have lost a father, a mother, a child, a husband, a wife — this coalition is for you.
“To all our citizens who believe that they deserve better, who have been promised much and given so little, for whom renewed hope has turned to renewed hopelessness — this is your coalition, and we welcome you all to join us and be a part of this historic rescue mission.
“This coalition is determined to offer Nigerians a path to security, prosperity, peace, and progress. Coming from various party affiliations, we are united in our resolve to present a constructive alternative to the hardship, insecurity, and waste that has become the hallmark of the current APC government.”