Moses Ofodeme
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors’ Forum is mounting pressure on the National Assembly to override President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto over the Electoral Amendment Bill.
The Governors made the request at its regular meeting held in Port Harcourt, on Monday, January 17, where they also advised the lawmakers to delete the areas of complaints in the Bill.
They further raised concern over continued state of insecurity in the country and the persistent and ceaseless shedding of blood on a daily basis.
“The strategies to confront terrorists, kidnappers, bandits, and other criminals is still a major problem of the APC administration,” the main opposition governors said.
The Governors, called on the president to reconsider his position; and consider decentralisation and restructuring of the security architecture.
“The meeting expressed regrets that Mr President is unwilling; from his recent comments discountenancing the proposals for state policing; to participate in reviewing the structural problems of tackling insecurity in Nigeria,” they noted.
The meeting advised NASS to deny the President the “opportunity to once again truncate a reformed electoral jurisprudence for Nigeria. An early concluded Electoral Act is vital for credible elections.”
Part of the communique read, “The meeting lamented the continued state of insecurity in the country, the persistent and ceaseless flow of Nigerians’ blood on a daily basis in many parts of Nigeria, the near collapse of the security situation in Nigeria. The strategies to confront terrorists, kidnappers, bandits and other criminals is still a major problem of the APC administration.
“The meeting expressed regrets that Mr President is unwilling, from his recent comments discountenancing the proposals for state policing, to participate in reviewing the structural problems of tackling insecurity in Nigeria and urges Mr President to reconsider his position and consider decentralisation and restructuring of the security architecture as the most viable solution, together with proper arming, funding and training requirements for Security Agencies.”
They noted that Nigerian Economy has continued to deteriorate and Nigerians have become numb and accustomed to bad economic news as exemplified by the inconsistent and differential exchange rate regime, high interest rates, unsustainable unemployment figures and borrowing spree some of which have not been applied to important projects, and other bad economic indicators.
“In particular, it is clear that the APC Government is a massive failure when compared with the records of PDP in government. The PDP handed over a $550 billion economy (the largest in Africa), but under APC, Nigeria is the Poverty Capital of the world. In 2015, under PDP, the exchange rate was N198 per Dollar, it is now under APC almost N500 to a Dollar; In 2015, unemployment rate was 7.3% under PDP, it is now 33%, one of the highest in the world under APC; In 2015, the Pump price of Petroleum was N87 per litre, it is now N165 per litre and climbing under APC. Debt Servicing now under APC takes over 98% of the Federal budget. The tales of woe is endless.” they said.
The Governors noted that the management of the country’s Oil and Gas resources, the administration of Federation Account remittances have remained opaque, confusing and non – transparent. In addition, they pointed out that the “transition to NNPC Ltd under the Petroleum Industry Act has not been properly streamlined to ensure that the interests of all the tiers of Government are protected, consistent with the 1999 Constitution.”
The meeting urged eligible Nigerians of all walks of life, particularly the youths, to register en-masse with INEC to exercise their franchise in the 2023 general elections.
The governors further noted that “the next election is a very consequential election that should be used to end the dominance of very youth-unfriendly APC Government; a government that had the arrogance to deny Nigerian youths of the use of TWITTER, a business friendly tool for the young, for over a year. The youths should empower themselves to determine who leads them.”
In attendance were governors Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Sokoto State, the Chairman of the forum, Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State,
Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Nyesom Wike, Rivers State, Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde of Oyo State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State. – Whistlers.