JOS- Mr. Shamaki Gad-Peter, the Acting Director,League for Human Rights, has urged Nigerians to learn the art of politics from the action of former South African President Thabo Mbeki.
Gad-Peter told newsmen in Jos that Mbeki’s resignation as South African President had shown that politics —or holding high offices— should not be a do-or-die affair.
According to him, the Nigerian politicians, who are mostly in the habit of clinging on to power, should learn from the action and start to respect constituted authorities.
He said although he was not in support of Mbeki’s action because he was not elected into the country’s presidency by members of the African National Congress (ANC)only but also by many other South Africans.
Gad-Peter said after voting him into office, Mbeki was not president for only ANC but all South Africans.
According to him, the party should not be the one to determine his stay in office but, that should be determined by the country’s constitution.
He said what Mbeki did could never be imagined by Nigerian leaders, who at one time or the other, wanted either life presidency, tenure elongation or third term.
The human rights activist said Nigerian politicians should see Mbeki as a role model and remove all obstacles that were detrimental to good governance and the rule of law from the constitution.
“It is by so doing that the country will achieve its leadership position in Africa and be able to move forward,” he added.
Mbeki agreed on September 21 to resign after his party, the ANC, had withdrawn its support for his presidency.
Mbeki’s government was accused of alleged meddling with the judicial process to nail his former Vice President and the new ANC leader, Jacob Zuma, on corruption charges.
|
