Progressive group: APC reforms can only be sustained if the party remains in power

The Progressive Legacy Movement (PLM) says voting in another party in the 2023 presidential election will reverse all the gains recorded under the administration of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement by Abdulkareem Sanusi, its director of media, the movement said Nigeria requires stable governance to attain rapid development and that the idea of a single political party holding power for a long time does not diminish democracy.

“Lack of stable political system is one of the major reasons Nigeria has been unable to grow at the pace we envisaged,” the statement reads.

“We all love to reference the development in foreign countries, but we always neglect the fact that governments abroad enjoy relative stability which helps greatly to sustain the policies and programmes of the incumbents.”

“Almost all of the European countries, except for France, have no term limits in their laws; same with Asian Countries. The founding father of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, for instance, spent 31 years in office as Prime Minister, a time long enough to move his country from third world to first world country.

“While PLM is not advocating for a sit-tight leader, we however seek to promote the idea of a political party controlling the reins of power for a time that is reasonably long enough to ensure it drives developmental interventions to completion.

“We believe that the All Progressives Congress, APC, has initiated key reform interventions in the last six years, and to have a new party in power would be to reverse all the gains that have been recorded under this government. It is therefore important to support the APC to continue in power, while Nigerians join us to screen and support patriotic politicians who belong to the party at every election circle.”

The movement expressed its commitment to supporting inclusive politics in Nigeria “in a way that all disadvantaged groups would derive a renewed sense of belonging”.

It added that it would prioritise a campaign to ensure that the APC continues in power long enough to drive Nigeria’s growth and development.

It also asked APC youths to change tactics by embracing the idea of collective growth and participatory ownership of political engagements “rather than the ‘parasitic’ method which gives youth who have access the opportunity to feed fat on the collective efforts of young people”.

PLM called on APC leaders to ensure that its forthcoming convention is well-managed “in such a way that it would not breed bitterness and acrimony that will threaten the chances of the APC at the polls”.