Oyegun: Plot to Heat up Polity over Buhari’s Health will Fail

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said attempts by mischief makers to destabilise the polity through negative speculations on President Muhammed Buhari have not succeeded in hampering the functionality and effectiveness of governance.

The party accused the media, especially the social media, of attempting to destabilise the polity by constructing negative narratives about the APC administration.

The APC National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, who spoke yesterday at the national secretariat of the party during a meeting of his National Working Committee (NWC) with the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF), however, said the party was very happy that President Buhari left a structure that is functioning very effectively in spite of his unfortunate absence, adding that the president has handed over to a competent team led by acting President, Yemi Osinbajo before embarking on medical leave.

Oyegun said: “What makes me happy in spite of these negative speculations and attempt to destabilise the polity is that, thanks to his respect for due process and the constitution of this nation he has left a structure that is functioning very effectively in spite of his unfortunate absence and one can say quite clearly that the wish of the President is that the government will continue to function efficiently and effectively, and that the party also should continue to execute its normal duties and functions.”

Against the expectations of Nigerians on the promise of ‘change’ by the APC, the party-controlled administrations both at the federal and states have not been able to satisfy the peoples yearnings.

For instance, most of the states controlled by the party are still owing several months of unpaid workers’ salaries and emoluments to pensioners.

A visibly worried APC national chairman added: “Today, the papers were replete with all manner of speculations which have become the past time of the social media to carry all manner of fake and totally out-of-line speculations as to any step that we take on virtually any issue. I think this is something that we have to talk about later.”

While addressing journalists after the meeting, the Chairman of Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulazeez Yari, said they (governors) agreed to give support to the party leadership and the government at the centre.

He said the meeting has agreed on April 29 as the tentative date for the national convention of the party. The meeting also reviewed the state of the party, x-raying the challenges facing the APC in relation to funding and financing.

It was agreed that the party is not effectively funded and a new funding mechanism be devised based on a planned continuous membership registration exercise across the country.

The meeting agreed that this was the only sustainable way to fund the party.

The meeting also discussed the situations in some of the state chapters of the party, and it was agreed that an effective conflict resolution mechanism would be put in place to stem the tide of internal dissension and resolve existing issues.

A statement issued at the close of the meeting said: “As we near the midterm, the meeting also resolved to launch a project to showcase the accomplishments of APC governors in all the 24 states controlled by the party.

Governors in attendance at the meeting included Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Tanko Almakura (Nasarawa), Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa), Abdulfatai Ahmed (Kwara), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (Kano), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) and Rochas Okorocha (Imo).

The governors of Lagos, Oyo and Niger States were represented by their deputies.

Some of the governors were however not at the meeting.

They included the Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-rufai, Adamawa State Governor, Jubril Bindow, and Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun.