The ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC) must not be sidelines in policy making taking place at the Aso Rock Villa, says former Governor of Ekiti State, and chieftain of the party, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
He therefore tasked the national chairman of the party, Umar Ganduje, to project the party’s manifesto on government polices and programmes while relaying the true state of affairs and feelers from among Nigerians across all communities and walks of life to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Fayemi, who is a former chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), made the appeal on Tuesday in Abuja during the public launch of a book titled, ‘APC and Transition Politics’ authored by a former National Vice Chairman (North West) of the APC, Salihu Mohammed Lukman, who had recently quit his position in protest against the emergence of Ganduje as chairman of the party.
According to Fayemi: “I am happy that our chairman is here. This is the party that should not be a spectator in policy making. This party should be the one to project the manifesto of the party.
“This party should be the one to tell Mr. President that this is the feedback from the communities and constituencies out there, not what he is hearing in the villa where he is locked up.
“All of us have occupied public office and we know how it can be. I am happy our chairman has confirmed he has read the book. It should be a compulsory read for all members of the NWC and executives at the state and ward levels so that we can begin the rebuilding process of our organic party to which I believe Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is committed.”
In his marks, Ganduje said the APC needs to be well-structured and repositioned to serve the interest of the masses.
He said, “It is important to document issues. APC as a political party is the ruling party. It is an institution which should be well-structured and repositioned whereby it serves a two-way traffic – first, as an institution that is in charge of recruitment of appointive and elective officials and also as an institution that is concerned about the implementation of the party’s manifesto from the ward level to the national level.
“And it is an institution that must answer to the demands of the people in order to be transmitted to the ruling government for implementation. At the same time, it is an institution that will explain and enlighten members of the public about the achievements of the ruling government.”
Among the guests on the occasion were Ganduje, former APC national chairmen, Adams Oshiomhole and Chief Bisi Akande, representatives of former iVice President Yemi Osinbajo; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajuddeen Abbas, as well as many chieftains of the APC.
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Rivers: Tinubu ambushed Fubara into submission, says Clark
*threatens court action to uphold Constitution
Leader of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Pa Edwin Clark, has described as an “imposed settlement”, the truce reached between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
After weeks of political turmoil in Rivers, the President on Monday met with Wike, Fubara and other political gladiators in the state at the Aso Villa in Abuja, during which some resolutions were said to have been reached to ensure peace.
The rift between Wike and Fubara split lawmakers in the House with 27 of them decamping from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a party in whose central government Wike currently serves as minister.
The feud also saw the emergence of parallel sittings, an impeachment plot against the governor, the demolition of the Assembly complex, and a gale of resignations of pro-Wike commissioners in Fubara’s cabinet.
But in a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, Clark said the communique issued at the end of the reconciliatory meeting was “baffling, appalling and unacceptable” to the people, especially, the Ijaw ethnic nationality.
The elder statesman said: “From the terms of settlement, it is obvious that President Tinubu sees his role as a mediator, to once again, show gratitude to the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), for ‘delivering’ Rivers State to him during the past Presidential elections, having first of gratified him by making him the Minister of FCT.
“The eight resolutions reached, are the most unconstitutional, absurd and obnoxious resolutions at settling feuding parties that I have ever witnessed in my life.”
The nonagenarian said Fubara was “ambushed and intimidated into submission”.
According to him: “President Tinubu should know that with all the powers he possesses, he cannot override the Constitution. From all that transpired at the meeting, the laws of the land have not been obeyed. President Tinubu simply sat over a meeting where the Constitution, which is the fulcrum of his office as President and which he swore to uphold and abide by, was truncated and desecrated.
“Like I said, we will go to go court to resist this oppressive action using all available constitutional and legal means. It is on this note I wish to appeal to the youths who are aggrieved, to remain calm, as we will use legal means to dethrone this hydra headed monster, called oppression.”
