Nigerians In Diaspora Tasks ACN On Alliances

Members of the Team Ribadu USA and UK have written the leadership of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to adopt Nuhu Ribadu as its presidential candidate if the party hopes to win the 2011 presidential elections.

The ACN has fixed January 14 for its presidential primaries. The two groups wrote independently and warned that if the ACN fails to nominate Mallam Ribadu as its presidential flag bearer, the party will diminish its chances of winning the presidency in the April 2011 presidential elections, saying Mallam Ribadu is the most suitable presidential candidate in the race for the party’s presidential ticket.

“You will also agree with us that the ACN has attracted more followership, particularly among the youth of our country since Mr. Nuhu Ribadu made known his intention to run on the platform of the party. There is no doubt that the Team Ribadu phenomenon in our country (and abroad) today has further popularized our great party, (ACN),” Dr. Bunmi Aborisade, coordinator of Team Ribadu USA said in his letter.

“It is an incontrovertible fact that many Nigerians flocked to our party because of Ribadu’s anti-corruption records as the head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC). Nigerians want to see an anti-corruption czar like Ribadu become the president of Nigeria so he can sanitize the country,” Dr. Aborisade added. He noted that while Team Ribadu USA respects the integrity of the new ACN national executive and the ability of the party’s leadership to make the right decisions during its primaries, it was worried by the party’s propensity for fielding presidential candidates from other political parties.

“Our fears over any alliance by ACN became more pronounced when we reflect on how past alliances led to undeserved defeats. You will recall the alliance between the Alliance for Democracy, AD, in 1999 and the All People’s Party, APP, which did not yield the desired results. There are also some lessons to learn from the unholy accord between the leadership of Action Congress, AC, and former President Olusegun Obasanjo, which led to the defeat of the party in the Southwest.

“The adoption of the former Vice President Abubakar Atiku of the PDP by the AC as its presidential candidate and how the party lost the 2007 elections is still fresh in our memory. It is in line with the above antecedent that we will like the ACN to limit its search for a presidential candidate to the party to avoid losing the 2011 presidential election, which may spell doom for our country. What ACN needs to win the 2011 presidential election is a credible candidate that has good followership in all of the geo-political zones of the country. We believe that Mr. Ribadu meets all of the requirements.

“Given the level of corruption in Nigeria and allegations of corruption against the presidential aspirants and politicians in the ruling PDP, it is imperative for the ACN to field a candidate with a very high anti-corruption profile. There is no one in Nigeria today who matches the description more than Mr. Ribadu. That is a big plus for the ACN.”

On his part, Henry Oriabure, the coordinator of Team Ribadu, UK, in his letter to Chief Bisi Akande, the national chairman of ACN noted that “It is evident that among all the presidential aspirants, it is only Nuhu Ribadu who is continuously enjoying the massive goodwill that cuts across and transcends the borders of Nigeria. This has been demonstrated by the amount of support and endorsements he has received from well meaning Nigerians across the country and abroad ever since he made his intention to contest for the position of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria known to the public.

“We strongly believe Nuhu Ribadu has the strong conviction, charisma, competence, influence, networks, popularity, organisational structures, leadership skills, qualifications, and experience, to bring about the change that Nigeria desperately needs, and with your leadership ACN will emerge victorious at both the presidential and all other elections that will be taking place in 2011,” Oriabure noted.

“Nuhu Ribadu has demonstrated he has the moral authority, ability to articulate and engage with the masses, enviable leadership qualities that are respected both in Nigeria and internationally. Nuhu Ribadu has large followers and supporters who can turn around and vote for ACN if he is chosen as the Presidential candidate under ACN,” he added.

Both groups  agreed that it would be difficult to convince the Team Ribadu groups around the world and ACN members in the Diaspora to work for another candidate apart from Mr. Ribadu for the 2011 presidential election.