The Secretary-General, of the Movement for the Emancipation of Human Rights, (MEHR), Rtd. Rev. Callistus Maduka has dismissed the current reconciliation peace efforts launched by the All Progressive Congress Party (APC) as mere window dressing arguing that it is all a charade unless the real issues are tackled insisting that the APC is not made up of only two people. “They are going around settling disputes, confederates and associates of the former national chairman and those believed to be aggrieved in Edo and Ondo States for what?” asked the Reverend. “Instead of telling themselves the truth, they are being parochial and petty”, he stated.
According to him, the ultimate injustice that was perpetrated in APC is still simmering and would someday erupt like a volcano; now you can see the smoke billowing in Edo where the entire people are chanting Edo is not Lagos!” Rev Callistus said it was delusional to imagine that incident would be wished away just like that. “Edo State people erupted in apparent rebellion against the ruling APC because they saw another conspiracy being staged against another popular governor by the same set of people who masterminded the Lagos fiasco”, he stated. “That was the rape of democracy—like hope 93; and people the world overtook note; a very dutiful and hardworking young man was stifled out of office by sinister forces for purely selfish and decadent reasons”, he added. “You need to address that; that’s where to start from when you are talking about any reconciliation moves”, charged Rev. Maduka.
The former leaders led the APC as though in military fashion relying heavily on crude means to inflict unexplained agony—severe pain on innocent aspirants and justifying their punitive actions because of the authority they wielded. “You saw the chaos in Zamfara, Rivers and Bayelsa; you also saw the manner they dissolved party structures not loyal to them. In Rivers State, for example, Senator Magnus Abe’s faction of the APC was given recognition over that of Rotimi Amaechi out of primitive supremacy battle” he recalled. “They made themselves accusers and judges without remorse or any thought of tomorrow” the secretary-General noted. “So when you are talking about reconciliation, the place to go is not those who sparked off the crisis and now reaping the fruits but to those who remained calm despite glaring injustice,” he added. “The truth cannot be hidden for long or swept under the carpet; the Edo uprising is a strong message to the APC leaders”, he said, warning that, they know what to do.
