MEMBERS of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working
Committee (NWC) appear not to be on the same page over the
agitation for the restructuring of the federation.
An indication emerged at the weekend as the national
vice-chairman of the party, South-South zone, Hillary Eta declared
that the agitation must be given urgent priority in order to save
the party from what he called the embarrassing situation of being
forced to the roundtable for a discussion.
Tribune not Thenigerialawyer checks revealed that Eta’s stance
was at variance with the submission of the national chairman of the
party, Chief Odigie Oyegun who believed that the poor state of the
economy and provision of jobs for unemployed youth deserved the
ruling party’s urgent priority for now.
Speaking last Thursday on a live television programme, Sun Rise
Daily of Channels Television, the former Edo State governor
declared that the focus of the present administration was how to
revamp the distressed economy and provide jobs for unemployed youth
in the country.
He said, “What is more important, to fix the economy or to
embark on this political issue with all the contentious and
different interpretations that the public give to it? It is very
specific on the manifesto and we are not going to renege on it, no
question about that.”
But speaking with journalists in Abuja, Eta admonished the
government and the party to initiate the process to allow Nigerians
ventilate their views on restructuring in a conducive atmosphere in
order to avoid “unnecessary duty of having to force ourselves to
the table.”
Unlike the party national chairman, Eta further noted that the
distressed state of the economy and the political and social
backwardness facing the country could be attributed to the awkward
political structure, which he said was not sustainable.
“If you have restructuring in the manifesto of the party it is
settled that the APC is for restructuring. Not only is the APC for
restructuring, the governors elected on the platform of our party
have come out to tell the nation that they are also for
restructuring.
“I prefer that the restructuring that Nigeria must have, the
process should start immediately. The reason is that our economic
backwardness, our political backwardness, our social backwardness
can be traced largely to the awkward and unsustainable super
structure of the country and not the sub structure of the
country.
“So, it is important that we restructure now so that we will not
have the unnecessary duty of having to force ourselves to the
table.”
The APC chieftain said all the documents that would help the
National Assembly to kick start the process of enduring
constitutional amendments should be made available to the federal
lawmakers, “whether it is in 2014 or in 2010 conferences.
“I think it is a good place to start; all of these documents
from the 2014 Conference, the one that was conducted by Babangida
or Abacha wherever it was conducted, should be brought
together.
“Nigeria has never been short of ideas. These ideas are found at
the shores of government and that is a good place to start; and
Nigerians who may not have had an opportunity to contribute to
those that we have in the shores of government should also be given
an opportunity to do so.”
While he pleaded with Nigerians to be patient with the present
administration, he accused chieftains of the erstwhile ruling
party, the People Democratic Party (PDP) of being in the vanguard
of the agitation, as he noted that the party was in power for 16
years without giving restructuring of the country the needed
priority.
“The PDP unfortunately, because whenever these things are done I
think that they are just amplifying or reciting the propaganda of
the PDP, but I beg to tell you that the PDP was in power for 16
years they never cared about restructuring. Today PDP is all over
the place talking about restructuring.
“I don’t know if it is essentially about the APC, but some
Nigerians are very quick into judgment in regards to APC. APC has
been in power for two years and in the two years, you are aware of
what has attended our presidency. It is disingenuous for people to
now look at the APC and say those types of things that they
say.”
tribune
MEMBERS of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working
Committee (NWC) appear not to be on the same page over the
agitation for the restructuring of the federation.
An indication emerged at the weekend as the national
vice-chairman of the party, South-South zone, Hillary Eta declared
that the agitation must be given urgent priority in order to save
the party from what he called the embarrassing situation of being
forced to the roundtable for a discussion.
Tribune not Thenigerialawyer checks revealed that Eta’s stance
was at variance with the submission of the national chairman of the
party, Chief Odigie Oyegun who believed that the poor state of the
economy and provision of jobs for unemployed youth deserved the
ruling party’s urgent priority for now.
Speaking last Thursday on a live television programme, Sun Rise
Daily of Channels Television, the former Edo State governor
declared that the focus of the present administration was how to
revamp the distressed economy and provide jobs for unemployed youth
in the country.
He said, “What is more important, to fix the economy or to
embark on this political issue with all the contentious and
different interpretations that the public give to it? It is very
specific on the manifesto and we are not going to renege on it, no
question about that.”
But speaking with journalists in Abuja, Eta admonished the
government and the party to initiate the process to allow Nigerians
ventilate their views on restructuring in a conducive atmosphere in
order to avoid “unnecessary duty of having to force ourselves to
the table.”
Unlike the party national chairman, Eta further noted that the
distressed state of the economy and the political and social
backwardness facing the country could be attributed to the awkward
political structure, which he said was not sustainable.
“If you have restructuring in the manifesto of the party it is
settled that the APC is for restructuring. Not only is the APC for
restructuring, the governors elected on the platform of our party
have come out to tell the nation that they are also for
restructuring.
“I prefer that the restructuring that Nigeria must have, the
process should start immediately. The reason is that our economic
backwardness, our political backwardness, our social backwardness
can be traced largely to the awkward and unsustainable super
structure of the country and not the sub structure of the
country.
“So, it is important that we restructure now so that we will not
have the unnecessary duty of having to force ourselves to the
table.”
The APC chieftain said all the documents that would help the
National Assembly to kick start the process of enduring
constitutional amendments should be made available to the federal
lawmakers, “whether it is in 2014 or in 2010 conferences.
“I think it is a good place to start; all of these documents
from the 2014 Conference, the one that was conducted by Babangida
or Abacha wherever it was conducted, should be brought
together.
“Nigeria has never been short of ideas. These ideas are found at
the shores of government and that is a good place to start; and
Nigerians who may not have had an opportunity to contribute to
those that we have in the shores of government should also be given
an opportunity to do so.”
While he pleaded with Nigerians to be patient with the present
administration, he accused chieftains of the erstwhile ruling
party, the People Democratic Party (PDP) of being in the vanguard
of the agitation, as he noted that the party was in power for 16
years without giving restructuring of the country the needed
priority.
“The PDP unfortunately, because whenever these things are done I
think that they are just amplifying or reciting the propaganda of
the PDP, but I beg to tell you that the PDP was in power for 16
years they never cared about restructuring. Today PDP is all over
the place talking about restructuring.
“I don’t know if it is essentially about the APC, but some
Nigerians are very quick into judgment in regards to APC. APC has
been in power for two years and in the two years, you are aware of
what has attended our presidency. It is disingenuous for people to
now look at the APC and say those types of things that they
say.”
tribune
Read more https://nairalaw.com/restructuring-crack-in-apc-nwc-as-south-south-chair-backs-agitation/