Atiku spoke through the Director-General, Atiku Campaign Organisation, Prof. Babalola Borishade at a press conference held at Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, ahead of a two-day Atiku Abubakar policy review summit.
“Clientelism refers to the awarding of personal favours among patrimonial cronies. These favours take the form of public sector jobs, appointments, distribution of resources through licences, contracts and tax wavers,” he said.
“Corruption, nepotism and official impunity have brought our country down to the bottom 3 per cent in the world in terms of political stability.
“In essence, what we have now in Nigeria is a form of patrimonial democracy. This is posing serious threats to the durability of democracy.
“Not only because it erodes civil liberties of citizens, thus creating a culture of political apathy and disenchantment among them, it also severely limits the extent to which Government can be pressed to be responsive and accountable towards the citizens.
“Thus, for both of those who are inside and outside the network, the future is bleak,” he said.
Atiku who is seeking to win the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2015 presidential election, is seen as a threat to Former Head of State Muhammadu Buhari’s ambition by elements within the party, who are said to be working towards choosing Buhari as a consensus candidate in order to bypass party primaries, which Atiku seem sure to win.
The former president said Nigerians need democracy of substance that would respond to their socio-economic demands, something he said he was set to offer, saying that was the aim of the policy review by resource persons.
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