El-Rufai Committee Can’t Advise FG On Restructuring – ARG
The pan-Yoruba sociopolitical organization, Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) has said it doubts the capacity of the El-Rufai-led committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on restructuring to advice the party appropriately on the subject.
The group, in a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Kunle Famoriyo, reiterated that restructuring has to be according to the expressed wishes of the people of Nigeria, irrespective of the outcome of the El-Rufai-led committee.
According to the group, majority of the committee members have hitherto publicly denounced the subject as either irrelevant or irresponsible and publicly made known their personal stance may largely influence the committee’s report.
ARG said it is on record that the committee’s chairman recently said on a live TV broadcast that, “A lot of the talk about political restructuring is political opportunism and irresponsibility in my opinion” and he does “not believe that the 2014 CONFAB report is a sensible basis.
“Gov. Ganduje of Kano was also reported, while addressing National Youth Council of Nigeria in 2016, to have said that restructuring was not the way out for Nigeria. Gov. Lalong, while addressing Law School students recently said APC has no stance on federalism, despite the prominence given it in the party’s manifesto, while the Party’s Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdulahi, believes that restructuring should not take priority for now.
“While we are prepared to give this committee the benefit of doubt, it would appear that the APC continues to waste precious opportunities that its 2015 electoral victory presented to it on a platter of gold to salvage Nigeria, in accordance with its manifesto,” the statement said.
ARG added that, “As of now, there is really no luxury of time to continue to dress peoples’ genuine agitation in convoluted bureaucracy and officialdom.
“We therefore hope that the party can come down from its high horse and listen to the loud whispers of Nigerians, which portend an unprecedented humanitarian crisis waiting to occur in the absence of a genuine attempt at restructuring the country.”
