They have likened the move to send Obasanjo to Guinea to another country sending a politician to wade into the crises APC had few weeks back. Their letter shows that the move doesn't add up to sound judgment.
Public Opinion holds that Obasanjo, popularly called OBJ in Nigeria, has too many charges of abuse of Power, which Nigerians are only waiting to be reopened in Buhari's on-going probe - which is already beginning to look like a witch-hunt, an attack on easy targets being that the famously corrupt administrations of Obasanjo and his predecessors haven't been mentioned in Buhari's probe thus far.
The ACIS who consider themselves as; "...part of a specific reality, namely Africa, fighting against colonialism, racism and imperialism..." couldn't have brought this statement at a better time. The statement which appears to represent the opinion of the Guinea people, also comes to keep Buhari reminded that Nigerians and West Africans are watching his every move.
Excerpts;
- NIGERIA SHOULD NOT BE USED BY THE IMPERIALISTS TO DESTABILISE GUINEA BISSAU
2. What is ongoing in Guinea Bissau is an internal party struggle in the African Party for the Independence of Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC) – the party of Amilcar Cabral. What should be noted is that the PAIGC and the masses of the people in Guinea Bissau have been struggling to contain rightwing and anti-people elements within the party through their own specific experience of African model of internal democracy practice.
3. If the internal crisis in the ruling All-Nigeria People’s Congress (APC) since its assumption of power on May 29, 2015 has not attracted the appointment of any special envoy by the African Union (AU) or Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) or from any country whatsoever, what then is business of the Nigeria Government to meddle in the internal affairs of the people of Guinea Bissau under the PAIGC?
4. We suspect that it is in the same manner, in which the imperialists used Nigeria for the ECOMOG operation under the ignoble dictatorial regime of Ibrahim Babangida (1985 – 93) to deepen and prolong the internal divisions and genocide in Liberia, is what is now being rehearsed for Guinea Bissau. It is clear from the swift appointment of former President Obasanjo as the Envoy that President Buhari is either consciously working in line with the imperialists or he is ill-informed and may be, unsuspectingly acting the script of the imperialists and neo-colonialists to cause splits in the Party of Cabral and the Guinea Bissau society.
5. The FACT of the matter in Guinea Bissau is as follows:
· There has been on-going struggle for several months in the PAIGC, which particularly in the last few weeks manifested as a constitutional and political issue.
· On 12th August 2015, the President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau (who is a member of PAIGC) sacked the PAIGC led Government and called (in line with the Constitution) on the PAIGC to submit the name of another PAIGC member for Prime Minister.
· The PAIGC met to deliberate on the matter and re-submitted the name of the sacked Prime Minister. In response, the President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau (this time disregarding the Constitution) rejected the mandate of the Party and appointed his crony – the 3rd Vice-President of the PAIGC (who has been feuding with the recently sacked Prime Minister).
· The National People’s Assembly, which is the Parliament in Guinea Bissau, passed a Resolution calling on the President to sack his newly self-appointed PM and allow the PAIGC leadership to determine who will be appointed as PM. In effect, both the Parliament and the PAIGC rejected the sack and repose confidence in the sacked PM as the choice of the people.
· There is already a litigation challenging the Constitutionality of the President to appoint a Prime Minister without previous consultations with the political parties that have representation in Parliament.
· As the struggle (political and constitutional) to compel the President to respect the mandate of the PAIGC, the Parliament and the people continues, the newly self-appointed PM has not formed a government yet, but he has gone ahead to sack the directors of the State radio and television.
6. We should inform the working people and solidarity movements across the world that Guinea-Bissau runs a “semi-presidential” constitutional government borne out of their own specific African realities, which is different from the imperialist models of American or European constitutions.
7. According to the Constitution of Guinea-Bissau, the President of the Republic (PR) appoints the Prime Minister (PM) “…taking into consideration the results of the most recent legislative elections…” In practice, the Party that wins the legislative elections sends the name of its president to the PR who should pronounce such person as PM, and who in turn should form a government. According to PAIGC Statutes, the PAIGC President is the “Flag Bearer” and will serve as PM when the Party wins legislative elections. Whenever there is an impediment of the PAIGC President, a name of one of the three (3) Vice-Presidents, National Secretary) will be sent to the PR.
8. It should be clear from the above FACT of the true situation in Guinea Bissau that Nigeria has no business meddling in the internal affairs of the people of Guinea Bissau. We recall that it was such interference in internal party crisis festered by the Portuguese agents in collaboration with rightwing elements in the PAIGC that led to the imperialist murder of Amilcar Cabral on January 20, 1973.
9. We demand that Nigeria should recall former President Obasanjo now as envoy. There are enough charges of political and economic crimes against humanity in Africa hanging on former President Obasanjo to answer in Nigeria, than being saddled with an unwarranted and diversionary assignment. For instance, General Obasanjo should account for the $16billion (N3.2trillion) meant to generate about 16,000MW (Megawatts) of electricity, yet installed electricity capacity in Nigeria remains 6,900MW for the past 16years.
10. We in the ACIS repose confidence in the capacity of the genuine working people in PAIGC to use Constitutional and political means to ensure that the WILL of the PEOPLE of Guinea Bissau prevails at all times.
11. We call on solidarity movements and working people across Africa and the world to support the struggle of the PAIGC to defend the cause of justice, internal democratic practice and sovereignty of the people of Guinea Bissau, without uncalled for interference from Nigeria, ECOWAS, AU, and most especially the imperialist destabilising agencies so-called NATO and AFRICOM.
Izwe leithu, i Africa!
ALUTA CONTINUA, VICTORIA A CERTA!!
The People! United! Can Never be defeated!!!
Signed for ACIS:
Comrade Abiola Dabiri – Central Coordinator
Comrade Abiodun Aremu – Co-Coordinator
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