No time yet to implement our promise on power devolution, APC tells Nigerians

The ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC) has said it has not abandoned its promise to initiate action for amendment of the constitution towards ensuring devolution of power to states and local government in the country.

National publicity secretary of the party, Mallam Lanre  Isa Onilu made the declaration on Friday at a press conference in Abuja. Onilu, however, told Nigerians to exercise patience as there was no time yet to embark on the much clamoured devolution of power otherwise called restructuring of the party in certain quarters.

Tribune Online checks revealed that the first item on the APC manifesto which was formally unveiled in Abuja on March 6, 2014, was the amendment of the Nigerian Constitution to ensure that the central government was decentralised through devolution of powers to 36 states in the federation and the 774 local councils.

The first item on the ruling party manifesto reads: “Initiate action to amend our constitution with a view to devolving powers, duties, and responsibilities to states and local governments in order to entrench true federalism and the federal spirit.”

Still on constitution amendment, the party further promised to “strengthen INEC to reduce/ eliminate electoral malpractices; amend the constitution to remove immunity from prosecution for elected officers in criminal cases; restructure government for a leaner, more efficient and adequately compensated public service,” amongst others.

Further findings revealed that following the consistent agitation, the party national working committee under the leadership of Chief Odigie Oyegun inaugurated a 24-member committee, in 2017. Tagged Committee on True Federalism, with Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai as chairman and Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi as secretary, the team was assigned the task of explaining to Nigerians the party position on the devolution of power and take memoranda from Nigerians. It had since submitted its report.

Other governors in the Committee were Rauf Aregbesola, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje,  Simon Lalong, and  Ibikunle Amosun, governors of Osun, Kano, Plateau and Ogun states, respectively.

But the party spokesman said the time was not ripe for the party to address power devolution as he noted that the 16 years of PDP has destroyed the economy and rendered the nation’s infrastructures comatose. He submitted that agitation for power devolution should take the backstage for now.

He said:” One of the several issues to be addressed in this country is power devolution. It is a policy and part of the change agenda of this government, there is no denying that.

” What you should know is that it is one of the several issues to be addressed in this country. But of utmost importance is the level of destruction that has been wrought on this country by the sixteen years of PDP. These include the economy that has almost collapsed, the poor infrastructure and the state of insecurity.

“Don’t forget that when we came to power, even the federal capital, Abuja where we are was in a state where most people couldn’t move freely. So, there were issues to tackle including infrastructures, including developing the economy, including ensuring the security of lives and property.

“So, certainly we are committed to every single item on our manifesto and the factor of time, resources and every other issue that are germane to implementing a particular programme would be taken along and such programmes would be done in the best interest of this country and that’s the difference between the APC government and any previous government, including the PDP government. ”

ALSO READ: PDP/Atiku’s restructuring: Political gimmick or what?

On the endorsement of the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar by the Igbo sociocultural group Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mallam Onilu dismissed the endorsement as dubious as he claimed that Atiku Abubakar has no sincere commitment to restructuring.

“Besides the deceitful restructuring promise, what else do the Igbo stand to gain from an Atiku presidency? Nothing!

Could it be that Atiku and the PDP’s restructuring rhetoric is selective and bespoke for specific audiences? The answer is yes! Atiku’s restructuring rhetoric is simply a convenient, simplistic and populist gimmick aimed at whipping up and exploiting perceived sentiments ahead of the 2019 elections.

Ndigbo and indeed all Nigerians must be wary of Atiku and his PDP ilk who in their desperate quest for power are ever ready to play fraudulent political games and parade themselves as ethnic champions to the gullible. We must protect the sanctity of our nationhood.

Atiku has refused to speak on the nature of the restructuring that he is cashing in on. But little wonder because he is transactional in nature. Atiku has no plan for this country and he is not pretending about it. He has said it clearly and on many occasions that he is seeking power to be able to sell off national assets to make his friends and himself rich. There is no doubt that Atiku only intends to use and dump the Igbo people.”