There should be no room for sacred cows -By Dirisu Abdulrasheed

President Muhammadu Buhari in his farm

We have watched with keen interest the actions taken so far by President Muhammadu Buhari since he assumed office on May 29, 2015.

As active stakeholders that worked strenuously for the success of the elections, we are proud of some of the positive initiatives and utterances that have emanated from the government and fully identify with the positive steps so far taken by it in addressing some of the country’s ‎multifarious changes.

While we agree with the argument that there is need for greater introspection in order to avoid the mistakes of the past, we however urge Buhari to expedite action in the formation of his cabinet in order to earnestly begin the process of reviving the country comatose economy and it’s infrastructure.

In this regard, while we are pleased with the declaration that the president is determined to probe some of the activities of the immediate past government, such investigations should be all-encompassing and devoid of any partisan consideration in order not to erode the noble intentions behind such genuine effort. We cannot afford to go back to the dark days of selective justice.

One other issue that will dominate national discourse in the coming weeks is the gubernatorial elections for Edo and Kogi states. The former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, upped the ante in the conduct of polls in the country with the use of card readers, which significantly engendered the holding of elections that were generally rated as free, fair and transparent. What is needed now is for the present leadership of the commission to sustain the tempo and build on the legacy left by Jega. We therefore call on the acting chairman of INEC to work hard towards improving on the standards set by Jega.

We (League of National Patriots) have mobilised our members in Edo and Kogi states to play active roles in ensuring that politicians play by the rules and INEC is ‎held accountable to its responsibilities and duties.

We, therefore, call on the leadership of INEC to ensure that the forthcoming election in the two states serves as reference point on how subsequent polls in the country would be conducted. The commission must ensure that a level playing field is created for all political parties and their candidates, a task that it cannot afford to take for granted at this critical juncture in our country’s political history.

The task of lifting the country out of the wood is the collective responsibility of all citizens. We must all join hands with the president to ensure that that the country is taken to where it ought to be.

Patriotism is doing our bit in the task of uplifting our fatherland.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Long live Nigerian patriots.

•Prince Abdulrasheed is Publicity Secretary of the League of National Patriots.