Political parties lack internal democracy –Aliyu

[Mirror]

•Says FG too intolerant

Niger State Governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, has said that political parties in the country lacked internal democracy in administering the affairs of their parties. Aliyu said the parties had engaged all forms of thuggery and threats to deal with perceived enemies, instead of finding ways of making democracy work, after many years of military experience.

The governor said this when he received members of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue on Peaceful Resolution of Insecurity Challenges in the North in Minna, the state capital.

According to him, presently, the Federal Government has become so powerful and intolerant of the views of others as it only wants things done its own way. He said: "The Federal Government has become strong that everyone that gets there wants to control it.

They become so intolerant not minding other people's views. "Even our expectations in democracy, we keep making excuses for them to the point that political parties have no internal democracy; people are threatened here and there.

"The truth is when you hear people cry, it is because there is something wrong that they will want to see changed." The governor explained that going by the political developments; especially the means used in harassing people, there was nothing anybody could do to him, except God permits it.

He said: "That is why I believe nobody can do anything to me, unless God degrees it. In fact, with some of the things we hear, you may think, one will not be able to move." Aliyu urged the committee to be bold and fearless in the discharge of its duties and come up with recommendations that would help the country.

He also called on the committee not to hide sponsors of Boko Haram as doing so would not help the country.

The governor recalled the quick steps taken to prevent the Darul Islam sect from gaining roots in the state by dislodging 7,000 members of the group in Mokwa Local Government. He added that it was latter discovered that four key members of Boko Haram were among those evacuated from the state in 2009.

Earlier, the Minister of Special Duties and Inter- Governmental Affairs, Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, who is the leader of the committee, said the committee was in the state to learn from the governor, who is also the chairman of the Northern States Governors' Forum, NSFG, of how he tackled the security challenges in Suleja and Madalla areas for the peace being witnessed in the state as well as dialogue with stakeholders on the way forward.

Turaki said the committee was aware of various efforts by the 19 northern governors to restore normalcy in the region. He said the Federal Government set up the committee to look into the remote causes of insecurity, especially in the North.

National Mirror