EKITI ELECTION: NOT A PASS MARK FOR FAYEMI OR ENDORSEMENT OF BUHARI/APC-LED GOVERNMENT

*The election reflects mass rejection of the pro-establishment politicians and their political parties!
 

**NLC and TUC must commence the process of providing the working people with an independent pro-people political alternative either by forming a mass party or supporting the building of SPN into a mass party

Press Statement

 

The Socialist Party of Nigeria, SPN, describes the outcome of the July 14, 2018, Ekiti State gubernatorial election as neither a pass mark for Dr Kayode Fayemi of All Progressive Congress, APC nor an endorsement of Buhari/APC-led federal government. The election which was more or less a vote buying contest among capitalist political parties especially APC and PDP was not only characterized by militarisation and inducement of the electorate but also reflects a mass rejection of the pro-establishment politicians and their political parties by mass of the working people in the state.

According to the official election result declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dr Kayode Fayemi, the candidate of APC polled a total of 197,459 votes to defeat other candidates who participated in the election. These include his closest rival Professor Olusola Eleka of People Democratic Party, PDP who got 178,121 votes. The result further revealed that, the total votes cast is about 403,451. This is far below 50% of total number of registered voters of 913,334 people and 60% of about 646,000 people who collected permanent voters cards (PVC) in the state.

Going by this data, it is obvious that, Dr Kayode Fayemi did not get up to one third (33%) of the total number of people with PVC let alone that of the total numbers of the registered voters. It is in the light of this, we of SPN reiterate that, Dr Fayemi/APC electoral victory is far from being a pass mark! Again, despite the billions of naira allegedly spent to buy votes by capitalists’ politicians who participated in the said election especially that of PDP and APC, it is instructive to state that, the total votes cast fell below the 433,345 votes cast in 2014. Hence, the winner got about 30% of votes of the registered voters despite cash-and-vote election while at least 69% of registered voters rejected both anti-poor parties (APC and PDP).

This decline in the total vote cast is not surprising to us in SPN. We believe the decline in the turn-out of the electorate largely reflects the huge level of mass dissatisfaction among the people against the four years of misrule and administrative recklessness of the Governor Ayodele Fayose/PDP-led government in the state. It also represents the mass disappointments in the failure of president Buhari/APC-led government to resolve the problems of mass misery accentuated by PDP 16 years of misrules at the federal level. Also responsible for the decline is the fact that four year rule of Dr Kayode Fayemi as Governor of the state between 2010 and 2014 was characterized with mass attacks on workers and poor masses in the state.

Also worthy to note is that, the decision by over 69% of registered voters who either refused to collect the PVC or participate in the said election may not be unconnected with the fact that most working people in the country have been forced by their past experiences to believe that every politician that seeks political power does so for self-serving motive while mass of the working people continue to wallow in abject poverty. Thus, they believe it is a waste of time to participate in elections.

As much as this impression is true, it also important to state that the situation is partly because of the continuous refusal or inability of the leadership of the labour movement, NLC and TUC to offer the working people with an option of credible and independent mass pro-working people political alternative. This has made it difficult for the working people to arrive at a conclusion that only a government formed by them is capable of beginning to address and meet all of their economy and political aspirations and desires.

It in a bid to accelerate the process through which the working people will come to this realisation that we of the SPN call on the NLC and TUC to follow the example that led to the formation of SPN and commence the process of providing the working people with an independent pro-people political alternative either by forming a mass party or supporting the building of SPN into a mass party through which the masses can begin to express their true electoral value.  Unless the labour leaders are prevailed upon to yield to this their historical task, sections of the capitalist ruling class will always appropriate the anger of the working people against any section of their class that failed to meet the aspiration of the people to manoeuvre themselves to power.

Our effort to end the cycle of perennial replacement of one set of thieving elites with another in favour of establishment pro-working people government with a socialist programmes  explains why we shall continue to build SPN as a true alternative pro-working people political platform to all the existing capitalist political parties in the country. This we also hope could compel the leadership of labour movement in the country to form a pan-Nigeria working people political platform or support building the SPN as such mass platform that will have a wider organisation spread and structure across the length and breadth of the country.

Abiodun Bamigboye                                                                                     Chinedu Bosah

Acting National Chairperson                                                                          National Secretary

08033914091                                                                                                  07033775517

2019 POLL: SPN DISSOCIATES ITSELF FROM ANY COALITION FORMED BY PDP AND 41 CAPITALIST POLITICAL PARTIES

 *No government formed on the basis of capitalist philosophy is capable of offering any breakthrough for the poor masses

Press Statement 

The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) hereby disclaims the report in the Vanguard Newspaper on Saturday July 7, that it was among the 41 pro-capitalist political parties, led by the anti-poor People Democratic Party (PDP), in a coalition aimed at producing a consensus candidate to dislodge from power the inglorious regime of the Muhammadu Buhari/APC-led federal government come 2019 election.

The story is titled: “2019: PDP, SDP, APGA, 39 other parties move to produce one candidate”. Since this false report was published, we have been inundated with calls by our members and supporters who were disturbed that our great party which stands for the workers, youth and the poor is being grouped with anti-poor and corrupt parties like the PDP and others so listed. 

Meanwhile the SPN was neither represented in any meeting to discuss forming a coalition neither did the leadership of our party at any time confirms its participation in such a meeting to Vanguard newspapers and its agents. Ethics of responsible journalism and fair hearing requires Vanguard newspapers to contact the official leadership of the SPN to confirm or disclaim this report before rushing to publish a false story. We hereby demand a public retraction of this false story by the Vanguard newspaper.

We strongly believe that the inclusion of SPN is a deliberate ploy by the PDP to use the SPN to give credibility to its coalition of anti-poor political parties which are not different from the APC.  It is in the light of this, that SPN dissociates itself from all coalitions formed by pro-capitalist political parties with the sole purpose of wresting political power from the Buhari/APC-led government, regardless of whether or not SPN is publicly mentioned as part of such a coalition.

 As much as we of SPN agree that Buhari/APC-led government is a monumental failure  which deserves to be removed even before 2019, we however, disagree with any false impression that the replacement of APC-led regime with a government formed by the PDP that plunged the country in a deep mess while in power or a coalition of another section of the thieving politicians and their political parties with anti-poor capitalist program is capable  of guaranteeing a better Nigeria and improvement in the living and working condition of workers and the poor masses as a whole.

This is because all these political parties which include the Olu Falae-led Social democratic Parties, Alliance for Democracy, AD; labour Party, LP, Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN, Justice Party and 36 others subscribe to the same anti-poor neo-liberal, capitalist philosophy of exploitation and corruption which is the main reason the Buhari-led regime like the past governments formed by the PDP have failed to meet the needs of the poor masses.

The SPN holds that only a government with a socialist programme in which the needs of the masses form the basis of governance and policies side by side with nationalisation of commanding heights of economy under a democratic management and control by the working people can guarantee basic needs of the masses and sustainable infrastructure developments.

Except Buhari-led regime is replaced with a government that is committed to the implementation  of a socialist programme which SPN is committed to implement if it gets to power, any coalition of political parties that subscribe to capitalist philosophy of running the society will end up compounding the woe of the working people if  it replaces Buhari-led regime come 2019.

Abiodun Bamigboye; 

Acting National Chairperson 08033914091 

Chinedu Bosah; 

National Secretary ( 07033775517)

SPN Calls for Immediate Payment of Outstanding Allowance for Mobile Police on Special Operation in Maiduguri

 *Police and other Security Operatives must be accorded the right to be unionised and belong to political parties of their choice towards an adequate defence of their democratic and economic rights

PRESS STATEMENT

The Socialist Party of Nigeria, SPN supports and endorses the peaceful protest embarked upon on Monday, 2 July, 2018 by hundreds of mobile police officers who were sent on special operation to Maiduguri, Borno State to demand from President Buhari/APC-led Federal government the payment of their six months unpaid allowance. SPN condemns the non-payment of the officers’ allowances; demands an immediate and unconditional payment of their 6 months unpaid allowance and holds that their protest is just and lawful. This is to sound a note of caution of any disciplinary measure against any officer for whatever role he/she might have played in the course of the protest.

According to a media report, the entire city of Maiduguri, the Borno State was thrown into a huge state of commotion in the early hours on Monday, 2 July, 2018 as fully armed mobile police officers marched in their hundreds on the Borno State police headquarters highway which was barricaded while the motorist and commuters were scared away by the sporadic shooting by the protesting officers. 

SPN sympathises with the plight of the aggrieved mobile policemen and maintains that the Buhari/APC-led federal government has no justification to owe any of these officers a month allowance let alone six months. Recently, a whopping sum US$1billion was approved by the federal government Surprisingly, Buhari-led government prioriotises procurement of military equipment and ammunitions while the working and welfare condition of police officers are largely undermined.

It is in this context, the protest embarked upon by these police officers is justified and worthy of the support of every change seeking Nigerians.

We call on President Buhari-led government to immediately meet the demands of the protesting officers which include payment of   backlog of the unpaid allowance and setup an independent panel of enquiry that comprises of elected representative of workers union NLC and TUC as well as professional association like NBA, NMA and ASUU to investigate the cause of the non-payment of allowances as well as how the approved US$1billion itself was spent. 

However, the fact that these officers on special operation in the North East could be owed six months allowance side by side a deplorable working and living condition despite the approval of a huge sum of US$1billion for the purpose of fighting boko haram insurgency has further make a mockery of fight against insecurity of the President Buhari-led government. It also reflects a glimpse of the prevalence of inhuman treatment under which rank and file police and other uniform personnel across the country groan. It is in the consideration of this couple with the aspiration of our party that the police and other armed forces have dependable platform through which they can also defend and advance their economic and political rights that SPN advocates the rights of rank and file police and armed forces to be unionised up to the extent of embarking on strike and belong to political parties of their choice. 

Abiodun Bamigboye                                                                     Chinedu Bosah

Acting National Chairperson                                                         National Secretary

 08033914091                                                                                  07033775517