Former Abia State Governor and leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, said yesterday that the APC government, under President Muhammadu Buhari, is doing everything to take the country to a new direction where honesty and patriotism reign.
Onu, who spoke when he received a delegation from the National Democratic Institute (NDI) at his Abuja home, also said the three legacy parties formed the APC because of the realisation that the nation was in need of change.
The former governor said the formation of the APC gave Nigerians hope, adding that today, the APC had grown from a party to a mass movement of change.
He said under President Buhari Nigeria would rediscover its lost virtues, adding Nigeria would play a greater role in the search for global peace and prosperity.
While praising the NDI for deepening democracy across the world, Onu said the APC and the Federal Government would, in future, establish an institute, such as the NDI, to play the same role, noting that nations embracing democracy hardly go to war.
Onu said: “It is clear the President is taking Nigeria to a new direction, and this is important because we are rediscovering values that make Nigeria a great nation.
“Values that were overlooked; values that a society needs to become a great. Values, such as honesty and patriotism. Nigeria was born a great nation and did great things in the past and there’s so much expectation, not just in Africa but the world over.
“We believe that the new direction will make Nigeria play a vital role in the search for global peace and prosperity. I believe we will do what the NDI is doing, I am sure the APC will get an institute to do the same because we have seen that nations that embrace democracy hardly go to war.’’
Leader of the delegation, Nana Ato Dadzie, from Ghana, said they were in the country to assess the nation’s transition programme, noting that many African countries had transited from one government to the other, especially when handing over to a different party.
Dadzie said “without a sound transition arrangement, a sound election can be botched. In many countries, transition continues over and over again because sound foundations are not laid.
“Our mandate here is to look at the operations on the ground, what exist in Nigeria and to advise the NDI headquarters.”
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