By Eteteonline
According to the stances taken by the candidates of the two political parties running for office on Saturday, Chief MKO Abiola and Alhaji Bashir Tofa faced off on a number of controversial subjects after the military’s anticipated departure in August 1993, including the necessity of a national convention.
NRC flagbearer Alhaji Bashir Tofa supported a national conference, but SDP Chief Abiola said the National Assembly and other constitutional bodies should be the primary forum for discussing the nation’s issues.
A national summit is necessary, according to Tofa, since “we have problems that can be traced to certain frustrations.”
“If this country is a free country, and of course, it is a free country, it is time we discussed our problems,” he said.
“During the campaigns, I observed many things. One thing is that merit is not considered. We need to discuss.”
He believes that national integration and fostering a sense of belonging for all people require action. He declared, “We will know exactly what to do.”
However, according to Abiola, a national conference is only necessary when the administration lacks legitimacy. “We have legitimacy in the National Assembly, so there is a more viable alternative.”
“Nothing stops the National Assembly from inviting the Ogoni people to come and state their problems before the Assembly. You see, this is the beauty of democracy. The whole country should be enabled to transparently discuss its problems,” he said.
Regarding the criteria for deciding representation, the SDP candidate thought that the national conference was especially troublesome.
“How will barbers pick their representative at the conference? What about market women, who will speak for them?” he wondered.
According to Abiola, Nigerians should instead unite around the National Assembly since they are their rightful representatives.
The candidates’ plans for the Economic Community Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), a regional peacekeeping force, the necessity or lack thereof of military investigation, and social issues like crime were among the other topics covered in the second part of the discussion.
Both candidates concurred that Nigeria’s ECOMOG-sponsored peacekeeping missions in Liberia are praiseworthy.
According to Tofa, Nigeria has shown initiative and leadership in the subregion through ECOMOG.
According to Abiola, the European Economic Community in the former Yugoslavia was unable to do what Nigeria accomplished with ECOMOG.
Tofa believes that the amount of money that is frequently claimed to have been spent on the peacekeeping deployment was overstated.
If such actions by the Federal Government did not produce results by August, Abiola would step up efforts to involve the United Nations (UN). The time was wasted. Regarding the national conference and the deployment of ECOMOG, Abiola and Tofa have different opinions.
According to the stances taken by the candidates of the two political parties running for office on Saturday, June 12, Chief MKO Abiola and Alhaji Bashir Tofa faced off on a number of controversial subjects after the military’s anticipated departure in August 1993, including the necessity of a national convention.
NRC flagbearer Alhaji Bashir Tofa supported a national conference, but SDP Chief Abiola said the National Assembly and other constitutional bodies should be the primary forum for discussing the nation’s issues.
Tofa stated that our issues are the result of particular frustrations and acknowledged the need for a national summit.
“It’s time we talked about our issues if this country is a free country, which it is, of course.”
“I noticed a lot during the campaigns. The first is that merit is not taken into account. We must talk about it.
He believes that national integration and fostering a sense of belonging for all people require action. He declared, “We will know exactly what to do.”
However, according to Abiola, a national congress is only necessary when the administration lacks legitimacy. There is a better option since we are legitimate in the National Assembly.
Nothing prevents the Ogoni people from being invited by the National Assembly to come and discuss their issues with the Assembly. This is the beauty of democracy, you see. He stated, “It should be possible for the entire nation to openly discuss its issues.”
Regarding the standards for deciding representation, the SDP candidate felt the national conference to be especially problematic.
“How are barbers going to choose their conference representative? What about women in the marketplace? He pondered, “Who will speak for them?”
According to Abiola, Nigerians should instead unite around the National Assembly since they are their rightful representatives.
The candidates’ plans for the Economic Community Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), a regional peacekeeping force, the necessity or lack thereof of military investigation, and social issues like crime were among the other topics covered in the second part of the discussion.
Both candidates concurred that Nigeria’s ECOMOG-sponsored peacekeeping missions in Liberia are praiseworthy.
According to Tofa, Nigeria has shown initiative and leadership in the subregion through ECOMOG.
According to Abiola, the European Economic Community in the former Yugoslavia was unable to do what Nigeria accomplished with ECOMOG.
Tofa believes that the amount of money that is frequently claimed to have been spent on the peacekeeping deployment was overstated.
If such actions by the Federal Government did not produce results by August, Abiola would step up efforts to involve the United Nations (UN). The time was wasted.
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