‘Copying Bad Example Of Tanzania’ – Osunbor Blasts APC Over Atiku’s Disqualification

The National Legal Officer of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Oserheimen Osunbor, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of adopting the bad leadership tactics of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, whom he said uses every means at his disposal to suppress and weaken the opposition.

Naija News reports that Osunbor made the remarks following Thursday’s Federal High Court judgment that removed the ADC leadership and nullified Atiku Abubakar’s emergence as the party’s presidential candidate.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Osunbor cited the detention of former Governor of Kaduna State and the party’s campaign deputy director-general, Nasir El-Rufai.

Osunbor accused the APC of using the courts to disqualify candidates and deregister political parties, which, according to him, was the playbook Hassan used in Tanzania.

According to him, the court judgment against Atiku was an attempt to distract the party and discourage Nigerians who look to the ADC and Atiku as potential sources of relief from suffering, insecurity and poverty.

Osunbor added that the ruling party wants a small group of people to make that decision through the judiciary and other government institutions.

He said, “Look at what happened in Brazil, it was remarkable and fascinating. Look at what has just happened in the United States. In states such as Texas, which have traditionally voted Republican, people have said they do not support what their president has done, and they have voted for Democrats.

“And you begin to wonder: are we not all human beings? What is wrong with this mentality? You have mentioned good examples, but the bad example these people are copying is Tanzania. You know what happened there under President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

“They are copying her, word for word and strategy for strategy: arresting opposition figures. Nasir El-Rufai, the campaign’s deputy director-general, has been incarcerated.

“They use the courts to disqualify candidates and deregister political parties. That was the playbook Suluhu Hassan used in Tanzania. This is exactly what they want to replicate.

“This is an attempt to dampen the morale of Nigerians who are looking to ADC and our presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar as one who will rescue us from the sufferings in the land, the insecurity, the poverty, the neglect, the disrespect for the right of Nigerians to choose their leaders.

“Many of these people don’t believe that you and I have a say as to who becomes leaders in Nigeria. They think it is something that a few people in the room would decide using the judiciary, using other institutions of government to achieve.”