NIGERIA SUFFERED 7-MILITARY COUPS AND 28 YEARS OF MILITARY RULE....

The APC Interim National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande, at the first interactive meeting of the elders and leaders of the party which took place at the Sheraton Hotel, Abuja, on Wednesday,said the party came on board in the quest to save the country from total collapse and re-position it on the route to a modern and stable democratic nation.

“The philosophy underpinning the coming into being of the APC therefore is the determination to bring the country back from the brink of collapse, despair, and possible disintegration; re-position it decisively on the route to emerging into a modern stable democratic nation, with a productive economy that is based on equity and justice for all citizens”

“It is common knowledge that our country has for many years now been confronted by fundamental, daunting and multi-dimensional challenges. This is clearly indicated by the recurring crises that bedevil its social fabric, political processes, structure of governance and, indeed, its economic and developmental processes. The result is that the nation and its citizenry continue to exist in a state of near permanent trauma.

“In its over 50 years of independence, Nigeria has suffered seven military coups resulting in 28 years of military rule, the tragedy of a civil war, twelve constitutions, and a little over 20 years of civil democratic rule. Added to these are countless incidents of religious, ethnic, political and civil unrest's leading to the loss of millions of innocent lives.

“Trapped in a vicious cycle of political crises, social upheavals and economic under-development, Nigeria has become, not only one of the most unstable countries in the world, it is also, regrettably, one of the poorest despite its huge human and material resource endowments.

“We believe that at the core of the paralyzing challenges confronting Nigeria today is the failure of governance which is manifested in the continuing inability of the Nigerian State to meet the basic requirements and aspirations of the nation and of it’s citizenry.

“Confronting these issues in a single minded manner is the raison de’tre for the formation of APC. The task before our party therefore is clearly cut out, that is, to create a partnership with the people to decisively change both tone and substance of governance in the country.

“The Nigerian State must not only be strengthened but reconstituted to become the veritable tool of resolving and managing the fundamental challenges confronting the nation,” he said.

Akande listed the challenges to include national unity and integration, threats to security, law and order, assuring that they can be surmounted through rapid economic growth with equity, protecting and consolidating the emerging democratic tradition and prioritization of human development in health and education and creating employment opportunities for the youth, among others.

“Today’s occasion therefore is to commence that process of sensitizing our members and millions of supporters all over the country on who we are and what we stand for, as a party that represents and champions the aspirations of most Nigerian citizens,” he said.