APC HAS WEAKENED NIGERIA’S DEMOCRACY -Chinda

The member representing Obio Akpor Federal Constituency at the
National Assembly, Hon. Kingsley Ogundu Chinda has criticised
the approach to governance of the APC led Federal government
saying that it has succeeded in weakening Nigeria’s democracy
and created untold hardship for Nigerians.

“Our children growing up under this system will never appreciate
what democracy and civilian rule is all about”, Chinda said, after
receiving his Certificate of Return and his subsequent swearing-in
as a member of the Green Chamber of the National Assembly in
Abuja.

He called for the total overhaul of electoral institutions in Nigeria
and reverence to the Rule of Law by the Federal Government.
While decrying INEC’s attempt to turn Nigerian elections into a
theatre of gorrilla warfare, where electoral victories are determined
by might rather than by the collective will of the people, the
national Legislator said, “It pains me that our democracy has been
put on reverse gear. All the democratic gains of last 16 years,
climaxed by the sportsmanship and best display of respect for
democracy, rule of law and indeed love for Nigeria by former
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in accepting defeat and
congratulating General Mohamadu Buhari even before final results
were announced.

“Today even where APC candidates are aware they lost, they go
ahead to use intuitions of Government to foist themselves on the
people or upturn the mandate of the people. For the first time in
the history of democracy, soldiers were at the polling units and
inside collation centres with guns and ordering INEC staff on what
to do.

“Solders were deployed by civilians and took orders from civilians.
This weakens institutions and encourages impunity.”
Hon. Chinda described the Re-run election in Rivers State as the
worst organised election in the history of Nigerian elections. He
said save for the insistence of the people who stood by and
protected their votes, the military would have imposed unpopular
and unwanted persons on Rivers people.

He however warned that, “If individuals continue to amass power
at the expense of institutions, democracy will be dead and buried
by 2019. A nation where the security institution is compromised
and partisan is a finished nation.

Hon. Ogundu Kingsley Chinda reaffirmed his total commitment to
the actualization of his campaign promises to the people of Obio/
Akpor Federal Constituency as he admonished politicians to “say
only what they mean and mean everything they say”.
He maintained that his landslide victory at the March 19th Re-Run
election in Rivers State was a result of the resolute doggedness,
and passionate desire for selfless representation by the people of
Obio Akpor Local Government Area.

“I thank God for been returned. I will also want to appreciate the
people of Obio/ Akpor in particular and Rivers State in general, for
the support they gave to the People Democratic Party and indeed
my humble self”, assuring that “…every promise we made during
our campaign as far as we are concerned they are sacrosanct,
they are cast on stone. I will fulfil those promises and go even
beyond by God’s grace”.

“I appreciate the people of Obio/Akpor for the confidence
reposed in me and reassure them that I will lead by serving and
shall always be consionable and have reverence for God in my
service to them”, he added.