Text Of Press Conference By The PDP’s National Publicity
Secretary, Olisa Metuh, On Wednesday, July 1, 2015 At The PDP National
Secretariat Abuja
*Metuh
As you are aware, today marks exactly thirty-two
days of the inauguration of a new administration under the APC, which was
elected into power over three months ago on the basis of their numerous
promises to the Nigerian people.
Even
though this government has continued to plead for patience, we are worried that
indications from President Muhammadu Buhari and his party do not inspire
desired confidence in the citizenry that they are adequately equipped and ready
to chart a direction for the enormous challenges of governance.
In
the last one month, instead of a journey to change as they claim, all we have
witnessed are avoidable tension, wrangling within the ruling party, disruption
of legislative activities in our National Assembly, painful economic stagnation,
pronouncement of voodoo achievements and overall uncertainty in the polity all
due to the apparent inability of our respected President to provide leadership.
*Buhari
We
have a President and a party that have since thirty–two days been unable to
decide on rudimentary appointments such as Secretary to the Government of the
Federation (SGF), Chief of Staff to the President, ministers and his
demand for 15 Special Advisers as approved by the PDP controlled Seventh
Assembly since June 5, 2015.
Even
the very little intervention made on appointments such as those of the
Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) and the Acting Chairman of INEC,
have not shown our beloved President as an evenhanded and patriotic leader
resulting in the confusion and crisis of confidence that have trailed the two
appointments.
The
PDP is particularly disturbed by the development in INEC where President
Buhari, who knew all along that the immediate-past INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru
Jega would be leaving office by June 30, had to wait for him to handover to one
of the national commissioners only to reverse it immediately, thereby injecting
bad blood in the commission.
The
situation in INEC since the PDP government reformed and granted it operational
autonomy has been peaceful, but Tuesday’s untidy overruling of Prof. Jega and
appointing of Mrs. Amina Zakari as acting chairman which, we gathered was
influenced by personal relationship with the Presidency and one of the new
governors of the North West, ostensibly to pave the way for the APC at the
electoral tribunals, has completely eroded public trust in the commission.
Whereas
the PDP recognizes the right and powers of the President to appoint the
Chairman of INEC and the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), we reject
attempts as in the case of the AGF to paint the process as transparent and
objective when such was not the case, but brought to question the sincerity and
commitment of the present administration to due process.
In
INEC, the PDP states in unequivocal terms that we cannot, as critical
stakeholders fold our hands and watch while the Presidency perpetuate actions
that diminish the independence of the electoral commission.
The
PDP has declared the appointment of Mrs. Amina Zakari as unacceptable and
demand that President Buhari changes her immediately.
Our
reasons include the fact that due process was not observed in the appointment
and that Mrs. Zakari has shown in the last elections that she is manifestly
bias in favour of the APC. Finally her appointment is a clear case of nepotism.
*Amina Zakari
We
ask, if they trusted Prof. Jega and commended him for conducting free and fair
elections, why would they not trust him on who to hold forth in the commission
until a substantive Chairman is appointed, rather than appointing someone who
is retiring from the commission in the next three weeks?
With
the prevailing record of Mr. President on appointments, it is unlikely that a
substantive INEC Chairman will be appointed in the next one year. Is
there a hidden agenda? Has Mrs. Zakari been handed a script to act given that
we have cases in the tribunals in addition to the forthcoming elections in Kogi
and Bayelsa?
Furthermore,
the PDP finds it sycophantic, insincere and the height of deceit for the APC to
continue to deceive President Buhari by parading voodoo achievements and
pretending that all is well with the nation even when it is obvious that the
government has not been able to locate its bearing.
The
PDP also finds unacceptable APC’s continued playing on the intelligence of the
people by dishing out imaginary achievements in the media even when it is
evident to all that the nation is stagnating, a clear indication that the
ruling party and the President lack direction and capacity to meet the
expectations of Nigerians.
It
is indeed amusing that a party in power in a press conference on Tuesday
claimed progress in the fight against terrorism when the effort has lost
steam in the last thirty-two days with insurgents, who under the Goodluck
Jonathan administration were already at the verge of surrender in the Sambisa
now surging back into the country.
How
can a political party attempt to deceive Nigerians and the President when the
economy has plummeted under their watch with a terrifying crippling of foreign
and domestic investments and the stock market losing over N350 billion because
of the prevailing uncertainty and confusion in the system?
More
astonishing is the fact that a ruling party and a government of a sovereign
nation and strong international voice like Nigeria are parading mere promissory
notes from foreign interests as achievements, instead of settling down to
galvanize resources and potentials that abound in our country.
*Jega
If
by the declaration of the APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed
that President Buhari has done excellently well thus far, then Nigerians should
not expect anything from this administration.
The
PDP as a responsible political party committed to the national interest, we
urge the APC to henceforth desist from unnecessary propaganda which ought to
have ended with the campaigns, settle down and help the President form a
government and chart a direction for the nation.
Finally,
while we restate our respect for the office and person of the President, the
Presidency and the APC must know that though Nigerians are wiling to give them
time to perform, they are tired of their unfounded excuses of handover notes
coming late; of meeting empty treasury, of clearing the so-called Augean Stable
among nuances of other frivolous claims.
What
Nigerians expect today is a government that will hit the ground running, face
the challenges of governance and commence implementation of its campaign
promises.
Signed:
Chief Olisa Metuh
National Publicity Secretary
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