AHEAD of the 2023 general election, former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, has asked Nigerians and particularly Labour to rise for the emancipation of the country from what he described as the devilish alliance of exploiters.
Jega, speaking at the 2022 Workers’ Political Conference organised by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in Abuja, said the 2023 general election may be the make-or-break epoch moment for Nigeria, adding that all hands must be on deck to prevent the country from imminent collapse.
He said the issue of national emancipation for credible national development, which is beneficial to the Nigerian people, requires being raised higher on the frontburner of national discourse by patriotic Nigerians.
He, therefore, urged the citizens to get involved in broad political engagements towards improving the leadership recruitment process to elect good and popular representatives in governance and, by so doing, catalyse good democratic governance.
“The sorry states of this circular economy conditions under which Nigerian working people and indeed the overwhelming majority of Nigerian citizens live and work, the reckless misrule and misgovernance by a tiny rabid, reckless band of elite and collaborators and the manner by which these may have picked so-called elected, so-called leaders and their collaborators, have devastated the Nigerian economy, heightened insecurity and virtually destroyed the basis for national cohesion and integration,” he said.
“Nigeria is crying for a rescue mission before it is too late. Comrades, such a rescue mission cannot be serious, positive and successful without the active engagement and involvement of the Nigerian workers through their genuine representatives in working-class organisations.
“As the country prepares for the 2023 general election, Nigerian citizens generally and the working class in particular can either continue to play the Ostrich on the current trajectory of reckless, senseless, visionless journey towards democratic and socioeconomic development and allow the country free fall into imminent self-destruction or they have to wake up, rise and join hands in solidarity for struggles and active engagement in the political process towards national emancipation, from what I call the devilish alliance of exploiters, both internal and external,” he added.
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