Bakare, who took a swipe at the continued detention of the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele, and Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, FCC, Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, described it as a clampdown on perceived political adversaries.

His words: “Recently, the actions of the DSS have raised concerns about professionalism and adherence to the rule of law. Instances such as the reported invasion of the premises of the EFCC and the handling of the case of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele, have sparked discussions regarding the need for due process and equitable application of justice.

‘’Considering the reported claims by the DSS that its actions were in line with ‘an order from above,’ the handling of the Emefiele case has sent a signal to the world that the current president’s disposition to the war against corruption is primarily motivated by a clampdown on perceived political adversaries, while various other enemies of Nigeria remain untouched.

‘’Mr Godwin Emefiele may have made the wrong judgement calls in the management of Nigeria’s monetary policy, but he must not be made a scapegoat. By the provisions of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Act, 2007, there is every possibility that the erstwhile Central Bank Governor did not act without presidential authorisation. If Emefiele is found liable for any crime, by all means, he should be prosecuted.

“However, considering the dynamics of the pre-election environment, and the then-candidate Bola Tinubu’s public allegation that the naira-redesign policy was targeted at him, the optic of the president targeting Emefiele for prosecution after winning the election and being sworn in as president could be interpreted as a form of vendetta far beneath such a distinguished office.
“The same can be said of the detention of the suspended chairman of EFCC, Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa. Mr Bawa was not only linked to the naira redesign policy, but he had also disclosed that the anti-graft agency would arrest and prosecute some outgoing governors after the expiration of their immunity on May 29, 2023.

“Once again, if Bawa is indicted in any criminal investigation, then the lawful thing to do is to prosecute him. To continue to hold him in detention, in these circumstances, raises significant concerns about the readiness of the Tinubu administration to fight corruption.
‘’This undemocratic disposition questions the pro-democracy antecedents of the president and indicates the consolidation of authoritarian tendencies.
“It is rather preposterous that the DSS has reduced itself to a pack of Napoleon’s dogs let loose on perceived opponents of the president when, in this same country, a militant like Asari Dokubo is openly breeding an armed militia in open support of the president, doing so with impunity and without as much as a slap on the wrist from the security agencies.
“Our security agencies cannot look the other way in the face of the brazen violation of the constitution by non-state actors who declare allegiance to the president while being ever poised to clamp down on the rights of the perceived opponents of the powers that be.
“Let me remind those who constitutionally hold a monopoly on the use of force that they do so on behalf of the Nigerian people and not as agents of those in power. This reminder is especially pertinent as Nigerians become increasingly agitated due to the hardships imposed on them by the government.
“As citizen-led movements spring up in Nigeria, the democratic quotient of those in power will be tested. Such office holders must remember the warning we sounded in December 2011, a few weeks before the protest in Ojota.

‘’ Let those relying on their ill-equipped, underpaid, and underfed police officers and political thugs remember the words of President J. F. Kennedy: ‘A society that cannot help the many who are poor, cannot save the few that are rich.’

“Undeniably, the state of our nation calls for courage. However, as the story of Rehoboam, the fourth king of Israel, teaches us, the kind of courage that adopts anti-people policies and oppresses the weak will only yield divisive outcomes.

‘’Therefore, Mr President, use your courage to lessen the burdens of our citizens and not to further oppress them. Use your courage to unite the nation and not to further divide us.”
While charging the president to address historical grievances and not to further deepen wounds, Bakare said: “Use your courage to address historical grievances and not to further deepen wounds. Do justice, mount a genuine fight against corruption, rise above vendetta, foster reconciliation, and give every Nigerian — in the East, West, North, and South — a reason to believe in a united Nigeria.”

Nigerians fed up with APC
On the outcome of the 2023 general elections, Pator Bakare said it was an indication that Nigerians were fed up with the All Progressives Congress, APC, just as he warned the party to revisit its foundation if it was to survive politically.
He said: “At this juncture, I must also sound a warning to the ruling party, the APC. I was there when the APC was formed and the extent of my involvement is well-documented. As a stakeholder and, more importantly, as a nation-builder, I am obligated to state without equivocation that this is not the APC we envisaged.

“The results of the last elections were a clear indication that Nigerians are fed up with what the APC has become. According to the results released by INEC, in the presidential elections, the APC had 15.4 million votes in 2015 and 15.2 million votes in 2019, but by the 2023 elections, the APC’s support base had declined significantly to 8.8 million, with a loss of almost half of the traditional support base. ‘’If it were not for the divisions within the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and the emergence of the Obidient movement of the Labour Party, LP, that split the traditional support base of the PDP, the APC would have convincingly lost the 2023 elections.

“Even now, the party’s victory as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is being challenged in court. When I consider the vision and founding spirit that birthed the APC, I cannot but conclude that the APC is losing the plot.
‘’The APC was established as a progressive party with clear motivations to establish true nationhood, eliminate corruption, oversee governance structure reforms, eradicate poverty, and facilitate economic growth.
‘’However, like its predecessor, the PDP, the APC has now become a platform for politicians who have neither conviction nor ideology and who hop from party to party seeking power at all costs. The suffering meted out to the Nigerian people as a result of anti-people policies are not what the APC once stood for.
“The APC stood for progressivism. Progressivism is characterised by substantial public investments in social sectors such as education and healthcare, and it achieves inclusiveness and social mobility by deploying political power to provide a minimum standard of living for citizens; progressivism prioritises equity, justice and inclusiveness in access to opportunities. ‘’While it facilitates a private sector-led economy, its economic growth policies are hinged on empowering the people by redistributing opportunities on the bases of fairness and equity. Progressivism is not built on trickle-down economics; instead, it is grassroots-oriented, invests in local opportunities, and builds the economy from the bottom up.
“As progressivism eradicates currency arbitrage, it would not leave the currency to float without a guarantee of domestic production, the cushioning effect of social investments, and a readiness to intervene where necessary to strengthen the local currency.
‘’As progressivism eliminates a corruption-ridden subsidy regime, it would not hesitate to boost or underwrite access to factors of production such as energy, infrastructure, and human resource in an atmosphere of transparency and accountability.
‘’A progressive approach to the subsidy conundrum would have been characterised by a phased removal of subsidy, buffered by transparent investments in local refining capacity and social welfare, while the corrupt individuals and corporations that have bled the nation are compelled to return their loots.
‘’Whereas progressivism cooperates with the international community in compliance with international economic and trade law, it would not allow the economy to drift in the ocean of one-size-fits-all recommendations by neoliberal foreign interests.
“If the APC hopes to survive as a political party in a political landscape that is becoming highly competitive, it must revisit its foundations and reinvent itself into a new party that is an
Alternative, Parallel, and Contrast, APC, to what the current party has become.
‘’While the president has tried to stabilise a rocking boat by announcing some interventions, let it be known that we cannot build a strong economy on reactionary and shifting policies. The president and his team must return to the drawing board to drive a coordinated economic programme based on the original progressive ideology of the APC.”