Kemi Olokode-Ayelabola has advised President Bola Tinubu not to allow unpatriotic politicians to taint his administration with partisanship, nepotism or hypocrisy, while also acknowledging that the President has expressed good governance in the past few months in office.
Kemi, a resident of Ireland and Chairperson of Asiwaju 4 Renewed Hope (ARH ’23), in diaspora during the February 2023 presidential election made this assertion in a statement she personally signed on Sunday and made available to the media.
According to the statement:
“President Tinubu has started on good footing since his inauguration on May 29, 2023, prominent among his feats was his knack for competence through the appointments he made and the key socio-economic policies he implemented in less than 100 days, this is quite commendable.
“However, I must emphasize that democracy is undermined when actions or inactions of state actors and institutions appear tainted with partisanship, nepotism or hypocrisy, and I urge Mr President never to give room for unpatriotic elements to give negative coloration to his government.
“I and other well meaning Nigerians in diaspora many of whom were on ground during the last February 25, 2023 election are fully in support of the current anti-corruption war of the federal government especially the one shrouded in the extinct oil subsidy regime; it is about time we deal with the monster of corruption in our society and sanitise the polity with sound anti-corruption policies and action.
“But our institutions must be democratic and civil in their actions, and the rule of law must be a guiding principle. Due process must be followed and an integrity test must be performed within the institutions, and their application of the law among the citizenry, ensuring there is no bias in order to retain public confidence.” She stated.
Reacting to government’s fulfilment of their campaign promises, Kemi said:
“Democracy is advanced when elected political leaders fulfil the promises they made to their constituents during electioneering campaigns. There is nothing worse than unfulfilled promises in a democratic system. When leaders act as if promises they made during campaigns do not matter, it erodes the trust and confidence of the people in the system. The resultant effect is conflict, apathy, inequality, manipulation and corruption, all of which pose serious threats to sustainable democracy. But I’m confident President Tinubu will never disappoint Nigerians.
“In our chequered history as a nation, we have had the longest stretch of democratic rule beginning from 1999. Impressively Nigeria today can be said to be a healthy democracy. What happened is a highly welcome development. We need to acknowledge it as such and celebrate it. This is what we need to sustain.
“Sustainable democracy requires the existence of these non-negotiables–the upholding of the rule of law, respect for fundamental human rights, an independent and credible electoral process, access by the citizenry to basic necessities of life (food, shelter, education, health, and transportation), transparency in government, a robust and independent judiciary, and a free and independent press.
“There should also be need for strict measures to rid the polity of vested financial and commercial interests which could negate the socio-economic advancement of our country. I wish President (Asiwaju) Bola Ahmed Tinubu a huge success and may Nigeria proper and be blessed under his leadership.” The statement noted.