From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
Concerned by what they described as the erosion of political ideology and the rise of transactional politics, former leaders and members of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) are set to converge in Abuja to deliberate on a new direction for Nigeria’s democracy.
The gathering, being hosted by the National Leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Seriake Dickson, is expected to bring together members of the old guard of the AD and other political actors, intellectuals and democrats from across the six geopolitical zones.
Scheduled under the theme, “Reclaiming Our Moral Mandate: A National Democratic Conversation for a Reborn Polity,” the evebt is intended to go beyond recalling the political history of the AD to exploring how its ideological heritage can contribute to shaping Nigeria’s democratic future.
In a circular dated August 14 and signed by Dr Manzo Abubakar, former AD senatorial candidate and Leader of the Northern Caucus of the Alliance for Democracy, on behalf of the Convening Committee of the NDC, the organisers said the gathering was a deliberate attempt to “return to first principles” and provide strategic direction for the country.
According to the organisers, the objective is to interrogate the current democratic dispensation and develop pathways towards “credible, people-centred and electorally sustainable outcomes.”
They described the AD as a major product of the pro-democracy struggle of the Fourth Republic, insisting that its legacy still carries relevance to the Nigerian political project.
The organisers said the reunion was “neither nostalgia nor pageantry,” but an effort to reclaim the moral and ideological foundations associated with the party and apply them to present political realities.
They disclosed that the gathering would seek to “harmonise experience with vision, memory with mandate and legacy with responsibility.”
The event will have Chief Michael Odurinde, Senior Special Adviser to the late Pa Ayo Adebanjo, seniormost Afenifere chieftain and founding father of the Alliance for Democracy, as Father of the Day, while Dickson will serve as Chief Host.
Expected at the convocation are former members of the AD’s National Executive Committee and National Working Committee, including Ambassador Mamman Yusuf, Comrade Usman Adamu Song and Professor Udenta Udenta, the first National Secretary of the Alliance for Democracy.
Other leading political figures, intellectuals and patriots from across the country are also expected to attend.
The organisers said the national conversation would seek to change the tenor of Nigeria’s sociopolitical discourse by moving beyond criticism of the prevailing system towards the construction of credible political alternatives.
“Let this be the moment we move from commentary to construction, from lamentation to leadership,” they said.
The gathering is therefore expected to serve as a platform for the old guard of the AD and other democrats to reflect on the country’s political trajectory and explore ways of translating their historical experience and ideological legacy into a sustainable democratic agenda.
(The Sun)