Nigeria’s former Minister of Information and Communications, Frank Nweke II, has joined the All Progressives Grand Alliance to help rebuild Enugu State.
Joining the party on Thursday, in Enugu, Nweke stated that his reasons for joining APGA were anchored on some core principles of the existence and purpose of government and political power, which the party depicted.
He said, “The founding philosophy of APGA is anchored on the egalitarian principles of equity, being our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, and giving everyone a sense of belonging, all of which are important components.”
According to him, governments exist for the purpose of establishing order in society, based on laws to guide human, socio-cultural, political and economic interactions.
He, however, said a society “degenerates into chaos in the absence of law and order,” or where laws are observed more in the breach.
“Lack of accountability and selective enforcement of rules and laws are recipes for the implosion of any society,” Nweke stressed.
Noting that in most democracies, political parties are the platforms for political organisation and mobilisation, he said, “It is obvious that these parties have failed in their primary responsibility – to protect life and property.
“They have chosen to prioritise self-interests and politics over the rights, supremacy, respect, dignity and value of human life. They have also failed to improve access to basic human needs – water, sanitation, education, healthcare, infrastructure and jobs, especially for our teeming youths.
“There is pervasive sense of hopelessness all over the place. Only a new approach that values lives and treats every citizen with dignity can radically transform the status quo. This is part of what I believe APGA offers.”
Nweke, who is also worried about the growing insecurity and uncertainty in Nigeria, said, “It is time for us to identify with problem-solvers and avoid pretenders who promise change and leave everybody in chains.
“It is time to avoid those who promised power to the people, but use the same power to enslave the people. In the last seven years, the coal city state is now competing with one of its neighbours as the poorest states in the South East zone. Without security, all other attempts at development are exercise in futility.”
He asserted that while states like Anambra enjoyed prosperity, Enugu continued to grow in poverty and squalor, such that its people have turned to begging as a means of survival.
He said, “We can no longer afford to be quiet. I have, therefore, stepped forward to be counted among the progressive and prosperous Igbo.”
Nweke also stressed that the totality of the traumatising experiences citizens were subjected to conveyed that the government had failed in its most fundamental responsibility – the security, welfare and wellbeing of citizens.
“This is why I have decided, with all boldness, to declare for APGA to help move Enugu forward as the capital of prosperous Eastern Nigeria.
“The Permanent Voters Card is our weapon to chase away the oppressors and self-serving leaders. This is not a time to sit on the sidelines or agonise, but time to organise both online and offline,” he added.
