Faseun told newsmen in Lagos that the two-party arrangement would tackle some of the challenges confronting the country at the moment.
The response of the OPC founder was sequel to the call for a two-party political system by former vice-president Atiku Abubakar.
Atiku made the remark at the 2012 Leadership Newspapers Annual Conference on Sept. 18 in Abuja.
`` I do agree with Atiku and I support the call for a two-party system.
``It makes politics more interesting, focused, and functional as it was in the botched third republic, with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the National Republican Convention (NRC)’’.
Faseun said corruption was not as pronounced then, as the government was doing its best to make life more meaningful to the citizens.
``The corruption that has become an order of the day now, was less at that time.’’
However, the National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Alhaji Balarabe Musa, condemned the call for a two-party arrangement..
According to him, the campaign for a two-party had been ongoing since the 1990s.
``Some conservative political leaders in Nigeria were campaigning for a one-party system up to 1986.
``But when they saw that Nigeria will not accept it, they came up with a two-party system, and Nigeria will not still accept it,’’ he said.
Musa said the idea behind the call for a two-party system was to alternate governance among the two parties in the country.
The PRP chief said America and Britain formed and recognised political parties freely.
He said the electorate in those countries decided the two prominent parties, without the extinction of the other parties.
Musa described the call for only two political parties in Nigeria as ``selfish’’.
``If Nigeria really wants democracy and wants to move with time, there should be free formation and recognition of political parties.
``Ultimately, it is the voters that will decide the state not only a political party or a candidate. This is what will work in a developing country like Nigeria,’’ Musa said.
Also, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, the National Secretary of the Labour Party (LP), condemned the call for a two-party democratic system.
According to him, restricting people to two-party system is depriving them of their fundamental human rights.
``The call is out of tune with democratic activities in the world. There should be freedom of respect in every angle of democratic dispensation of the world,’’ the LP scribe said.
Abdulsalam said more than two parties exist in America and Britain, adding that only two were pronounced as it was in Nigeria.
Mr Toyin Raheem, the Secretary General of Campaign for Constitutionalism and Human Rights (CCHR), also condemned the call for a two-party state.
He said the constitution supported the freedom of association.
``The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees freedom of Association.
``So, if we want to go by the law, a two-party arrangement will mean an infringement on the rights of the citizens,’’ he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment