By Ovie Okpare
An international peace advocate, Friendship Is Peace International (FIPI), has alleged that corrupt politicians within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are fighting against the anti-graft war of the President Muhammadu Buharil-led administration.
The group stated that it was the conspiracy among corrupt APC partymen reason the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anti-corruption agencies had not made supposed progress in the fight against corruption in the country.
FIPI’s Executive Director, Elder Edward Nikagbatse-Oki stated this on Monday at the NUJ Press Centre in Warri, Delta State during a press conference organized by the group on the state of the nation.
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Nikagbatse-Oki posited that corrupt politics were also using ethnicity and religion to further divide the Nigerians for their selfish needs.
The group, while drumming support for the anti-corruption crusade of the Buhari’s government, appealed to Nigerians to lend support for the anti-graft war for the betterment of the country.
“During Buhari’s first term, you saw how politicians within his party (APC) fought against the anti-corruption fight. They held the country to a standstill because they know they will account for their misdeed. It’s not still different now. Many of them accused of corruption had even defected to APC for cover.
“If Nigerians want Buhari to bring sanity to the system, they must support the anti-corruption drive to tackle the menace. This is how they fought against Buhari’s war against indiscipline. We must support Mr. President for the general good of the country”, Nikagbatse-Oki explained.
The group also blamed the insecurity across Nigeria on nepotism and religious intolerance and the ordinary man on the street against being used by ‘greedy politicians.’
According to him, “ballot box/common man revolution in Nigeria whereby the common man would be able to realize and utilize their political power through the ballot box and to recognise that Nigeria is their only country.
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“The politicians of the first republic laid the foundation of our crisis. The ethnocentric leaders used their ethnocentric jingoism to disorientate the common man and make the masses fight against themselves.
“The politicians are taking the common man for a ride. It is high time for reorientation of the Nigerian masses. We need justice and fair play in the country.
“We need political education for the common man to know his rights. We need bloodless revolution through the ballot box and effective sensitization of the common man. We should shun ethnocentricism, clannishness, tribalism and religious intolerance in all its ramifications.”
