By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
Former Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), John Odigie Oyegun, has challenged the APC administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari, to desist from giving the impression that only a military government can alter the basic structures of Nigeria.
Speaking in Abuja at the weekend during the public presentation of the book, ‘APC’s Litmus Tests’, written by the Director General of the APC Governors Forum (PGF), Salihu Lukman, Oyegun, who was also a former Governor of Edo State, cautioned the APC government that the earlier it shows that it is responsive to the feelings and desires of the people, the easier it becomes to diffuse the stress the nation is passing through today.
While pointing out that the party and the government did not make the desired progress with the restructuring documents submitted to it by Governor Nasir El’Rufai led APC Restructuring Committee, Oyegun said “Unfortunately, it has gone beyond, we now have one or two things that did not happen before, people now want to disengage from the federation, which did not happen before and that is a warning sign.
“If a child asks for Garri today, you don’t give him, tomorrow he may decide it is cake that he wants and we must not as a political party, we must not as the government of the federation, give the impression that only military governments can fundamentally tamper with the basic structure of this nation.
“We are in charge today, a progressive government, a progressive regime and I think it is proper that we show to the nation that when the people want some degree of change, we should be responsive to it, we should address it. Compromises have to be made, there is no question about that.
“The report itself is not final. It still has to go through the litmus test of compromises. The ideas of people from different parts of the country will be different up to the extent they want to go with the proposals in the document, but it is necessary, it is vital, it is in fact, mandatory in the interest of the survival of our nation, that these issues be addressed. We cannot continue to allow the subject to become something that threatens our nation at any turn.”
Speaking further, he said “Look at what is happening. Well, it is recommended there should be State Police. Today, we are having all sorts of organizations cropping out with all sorts of names, we haven’t defined their operational status, we haven’t defined their relativity properly with the established security agents and the rest. But sitting down together, we can work out things so that we know the relativities between the existing structures and the existing institutions.”
Speaking also at the event, the Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Abubakar Bagudu, said the party is not shy to acknowledge that Nigeria’s Constitution is not perfect, recalling that under John Oyegun, the El-Rufai Committee on True Federalism was created to look at those issues that the party should do better.
Bagudu, who is the Chairman of APC Governors Forum, said APC believes those issues should let the party amend the Constitution, given that society is dynamic and not because somebody has been wronged and cheated, adding at if that is the basis for correction, then the agitation will never stop except it is based on making the society better.
“I believe the proposal which have been submitted to the National Assembly will help to produce amended Constitution that will meet most of the aspirations.”
While pointing out the need for discipline and accountability in governance, Bagudu said “This is the central challenge that we need to communicate and President Muhammadu Buhari has shown us the way by discipline, by value for money but our quest, includes of necessity, expanding our horizon so that we can see how we will move the $35 billion dollar federal budget $300 billion, $500 billion federal budget because only then, can we meet some of our expectations, some of our aspirations in all sectors.
“We are aware that there are fundamental challenges to be addressed and if you APC will not shy away from acknowledging them and providing transparent leadership.”
Also in his remarks, the chairman of the APC Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Mai Mala Buni, who is also the Governor of Yobe State, said APC has gone through a lot, as an amalgamation of different political parties.
He said a lot of people take it for granted that APC is in power, saying the story of how it got to power, the people that have toiled and struggled and made it what it is today, ought to be something better.
“I think, in the party office, we ought to have a memorabilia session where people would come and understand what it means for this party to come together, the way it did, and then everybody should know the role that everyone has played to get us where we are”, he said.
