Adesola Sulaimon
Reverend Chris Okotie, founder of Household of God Church, on Sunday implored presidential flagbearers of political parties to step aside for him to take over from president Muhammadu Buhari after the end of his administration.
Okotie stated this during the celebration of his 63rd birthday on Sunday at his church ,Oregun, Ikeja.
The cleric proposed to head an interim government after President Buhari, which to him, is the only solution to the current issues bedeviling the country.
“I want to appeal to all presidential candidates to withdraw from the race and allow me to come in as the interim president. I want to implore Asiwaju to support my government for the betterment of the country and I also want to tell Obi that the system that introduced him cannot take him anywhere, because he cannot operate in the system we have now. All the presidential candidates should support me to succeed President Buhari as the interim president.
“We must also rise above tribe and religion because there is an imbalance in the country and we are not practising federalism instead, what we are practising is a presidential system of government. Since 1999, things have been declining because the presidential system of government we are practising has failed us.
“We must get rid of the National and State Assemblies because maintaining each member cost the country billions of naira. Some of the standing committees at both assemblies are not useful to the country, they are only representing themselves, not the populace.
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“For the best of the country, both assemblies should be scrapped and the money for maintaining them should be used for something else. What we have in Nigeria today is the government of the party, by the party and for the party.
“Ministers and the Commissioners should also be expunged because Nigeria’s democracy has been hijacked by the elite for their interest and they are deceiving the downtrodden who don’t know anything. And the most important of all is our constitution. It should be changed to a people-oriented constitution, not the military one we have now. After the change, we can then restructure the country for the better.”
“If I am made the interim president, our government will be a transparent one and we will redirect the steps of the youth who are into internet fraudsters and turned them to better persons in the society and empower them.
“While a young person with inclination to technology advancement will ensure financial accountability of government and each state will have control of their national resources. First, we emulated the British and now we are copying the American style of democracy that didn’t take us anywhere.
“The presidential system of government has failed us woefully. We should enable professional associations constitutionally to acquire legislative power as a replacement for the removal of the legislature from our political system.
“And we should also embrace the concept of aboriginal democracy, that is a government from the people, for the people and with the people. This is distinct from the current experience of political parties which is the government of the party, the party and for the party.”
