http://thenationonlineng.net/apc-pmb-not-yet-the-change-we-voted-for/

Apc, Pmb: Not yet the change we voted for

Are the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) aware of the great expectations their intense advocacy of change in the campaigns leading to the last general elections aroused among Nigerians? Are they conscious of the fact that the greater the time lag between their formal assumption of office and the manifestation of their promised changes, the greater will be the growing frustrations of sections of the populace with the attendant increasing nostalgia for an idealised past?It is now nearly five months after PMB was sworn in following the sweeping victory of the APC at the polls. Yet, the party is only just putting in place members of its Federal Executive Council (FEC) to assist the President in driving the machinery of governance.  PMB claims he needed sufficient time to pick the very best men and women in terms of competence and moral integrity to work with him. Yet, impressive as the ministerial list he has sent to the National Assembly is, any President could have assembled the team within a month.For most Nigerians, the APC’s mantra of change remains just a slogan. No one is sure of its concrete content. Does its idea of change mean just a shift of power from Dr Goodluck Jonathan to PMB and from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC? Nigerians who voted for the party in droves expect more than that. The very depth of the PDP rot that the APC campaigned vigorously against necessitates a higher degree of sure-footedness, decisiveness and sense of urgency in governance than the APC has shown so far particularly at the centre. This honeymoon can surely not go on forever.Any follower of this column will know that this writer does not share the sentiment of ethno-regional balancing in perceived juicy political appointments particularly at the expense of merit. Hence, I have refrained from joining the bandwagon of critics who fault the alleged ethno-regional lop-sidedness of PMB’s early appointments. The Federal Character principle of the constitution serves the latent function of ensuring a sense of balance and fair-play among cultural components of a diverse and plural society like ours. But it also serves the manifest function of legitimating the criminal extraction and privatisation of public resources by representative elites in public office purportedly in the interest of their ethno-cultural groups.I find it astonishing that in these fiscally and economically famished times, PMB, apart from having obtained the approval of the Senate to appoint 13 Special Advisers has sent a list of 36 ministerial nominees to the Senate for confirmation. This makes a FEC of at least 49 members. It is unjustifiable. There is absolutely no difference between this and the PDP era of opulence and waste associated with the costs of governance. Where then is the change?Some readers aware of my views in this regard have referred me to Section 147 of the 1999 constitution, which requires the President to appoint one minister per state.  That section is non-justiciable. It is just like the section on the Directive Principles of State Policy, which demands the implementation of certain social and economic objectives that can only be at the discretion of the President. The Federal Character principle requirement can be met across the different arms, levels and agencies of government and not just in the composition of the FEC. In any case, as Professors J. Isawa Elaigwu and Ali A. Garba have argued “It is important to note that in a federal system, all levels of government operate directly on the people and not through another level. That is the import of multiple poles of power – i.e. non-centralisation”.However, I must confess that I am also beginning to be disturbed about the possible mindset of PMB in making some of his very sensitive appointments. This is particularly so with his appointment this week of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, a renowned historian as Professor Attahiru Jega’s successor as substantive Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). No one doubts Professor Yakubu’s intellect, integrity, administrative experience and managerial acumen. However, this appointment appears to me very insensitive.In admitting the flawed nature of the election that brought him to power, the late President Umaru Yar’Adua exhibited uncommon nobility of spirit and integrity. He went on to set up the Justice Mohammed Uwais panel on electoral reforms, which proposed a wide range of reforms to strengthen the electoral process. One of these, which the opposition parties at the time vigorously supported, was that the President would pick the chairman of INEC from a list of three nominees by the National Judicial Council (NJC). Although, President Goodluck Jonathan from the South-south did not implement this reform, he at least picked a man of integrity from the north, Jega, as head of the electoral umpire.The least one expected of PMB as a northerner was that he would emulate this worthy example and also pick an INEC chairman of intellect, character, experience and integrity from the South. In this respect, we seem to have taken one step backward. This is very unfortunate. In the same vein, I find it curious that a leader with zero-tolerance for corruption like PMB would not consider an anti-corruption and pro-human rights legal icon like Mr Femi Falana (SAN) as a great asset to his government. One seriously hopes that in his decision making process, PMB is not becoming hostage to a narrow ethno-regional cabal the way Jonathan was.Due to the utter naivety of its politics and rank indiscipline within its ranks, the APC, which controls a majority of members in the National Assembly, is today burdened by an ethically challenged National Assembly leadership that gravely imperils PMB’s much trumpeted anti-corruption war even before it takes off.  This is why beyond the media razzmatazz; there is hardly any difference between the utter lack of seriousness and rigour that characterised the screening of ministerial nominees under the PDP-dominated Senate of the past 16 years and the new APC-dominant Senate.We still have the absurd situation in which Senators are asked to scrutinise and interview ministerial nominees whose portfolios are unknown. It is very comical. Indeed, with the very strong pro-North signal sent out by PMB’s new appointment of the INEC Chairman from his ethno-regional zone, it will be very interesting to see the pattern of his allocation of portfolios to his confirmed ministerial nominees. I hope we will not all be turned into ethnic chauvinists now.I write this as a wakeup call to the APC. Time is ticking. The people are expectant. If an incumbent party and President could be defeated in 2015, the same feat is not impossible in 2019. The party cannot afford further complacency.

Its all in a matter of four years... There is still time to sharpen thing up.

Am not an APC fan. But am fully in support of Buhari and his change idea. I only wish the people around him would work with integrity.

He alone cannot do the changing, he needs us. but if the caliber of people he surrounds himself with are only out fro their own pockets, am sorry for him, he might end up the way jonathan did.

Sponsored post. Let the nation recommend the right person to bring about the change on the country PDP had destroyed for the past 16 years !!

The Nation News Paper?

Indeed, Thiefnu..bu wanna float another Party haven been scam by the Instagram President!

Apc

mtchheeeeeeeeew

When anyone sets out to pronounce judgement on a four year tenure after just five months of modest performance, tge sanity of such person needs to be checked.

If this could come from, the Nation's newspaper then I smell break-up in a very short time in Apc..

Tinubu speaking!!!

Tinubu is fighting back. Funny

Enjoying this. Where is area, eko ole etc

Could this be last warning from Tinubu?

We no dey get light again ooo, abi d change do expire after 2 months?

PassingShot:
When anyone sets out to pronounce judgement on a four year tenure after just five months of modest performance, tge sanity of such person needs to be checked.

did they not promise to crush bokoharam within two months?

Keep smoking..

silverprince413:
did they not promise to crush bokoharam within two months?

Keep smoking..

Liar, the mandate is December 2015. Keep lying, it didn't help you last time and it won't help you this time.

ok

I hope this gets fp

Tinubu the miserable gate man frustrated already?

pmb

na today??

APC na baba scam ayé!!

PassingShot:

Liar, the mandate is December 2015. Keep lying, it didn't help you last time and it won't help you this time.

And you have hopes on December 2015? You guys believe anything.. Just to masturbate your ego

PassingShot:

Liar, the mandate is December 2015. Keep lying, it didn't help you last time and it won't help you this time.

wasn't it shifted to December when TWO MONTHS was unrealistic



Abi May to December = 2 MONTHS??

Dekatron:






wasn't it shifted to December when TWO MONTHS was unrealistic



Abi May to December = 2 MONTHS??

"Few months" was turned to "two months" by liars. No time was two month promised. Done with you.

"A Femi Falana , who is a legal icon ".
Is that why Falana all of a sudden knew that INEC composition was illegal. So you want your own boy-boy to be INEC chairman, OLE
" The president is now becoming hostage to a ethno-regional cabal"
Are you a fool, were you not warned
"Were then is the change"
May lightening strike you down, JAGABAN ediot
Stup1d Tinubu, foolish AKANDE and Ole Sam omatseye

sammyj:
Sponsored post. Let the nation recommend the right person to bring about the change on the country PDP had destroyed for the past 16 years !!

When you say PDP destroyed Nigeria for the past 16 years,could you be rational enough to mention those PDP members that destroyed Nigeria?

PassingShot:

Liar, the mandate is December 2015. Keep lying, it didn't help you last time and it won't help you this time.

if i say something now, they will say we are politicizing bokoharam..

Till then..

APC! Scam... APC!! Lies... APC!!!.... Failures......

Waoh really been a while I read such an erudite write up from a Nigerian tabloid not to talk of The Nation which is widely regarded as pro-APC. The argument of this writer was so on point I had to book space first in order not to miss FP. Let us all as Nigerians take a deep breath with our eyes closed, enter into our consciences and see why it is an open wound of which only d truth can heal. If truly this is d change we were promised; where constructive criticism makes u Buhariphobic, where verifiable campaign promises are suddenly denied and clear ethno-religious inclination is seen all PMB appointmnt to d extent dat d Inec Natnl Chair is a Hausa/Fulani and even d SS rep of Inec Natnl Commissioner is a staunch Muslim. Apc shd remember Nigerians are yearning for change from daily bomb blasts to peace, change from prebendalism (just google d meaning) to egalitarian democracy, from darkness to an improve power supply at our homes, job creation not daily job retrenchments, corrupt persons being jailed and not media war and these political shenanigans which at best serve d elitist interest. A friend once asked me why we didnt ask d Apc d 'change' they meant as change cud be positive or negative. Mr Buhari what happend to Gej will be a child's play if these recycled and expired politicians you just assembled as minister designates gang up soon and 'cabalise' ur govt. For now lets watch and pray d govt succeeds while hoping d 'body language' doesnt turn to 'body odour' someday. The Nation, u v given me anoda reason to consider reading u again one day. If PMB dare makes d mistake of losing d SW media mafia with their obvious lies n propaganda then d autopsy of his failed govt will bring to d fore d meaning of d pen is mightier than d sword. For me ,a proudly 5% Nigerian, the South West deserve one of their sons to be d Natnl Inec Chairman but u will be surprised a lot of dia e- warriors here will prefer d south 'waste' identity which d oligarchic/feudal north is gradually turning them into.

Hmmn, the nation of all papers ?
I believe Tinubu is subtlely sending a strong message to Buhari.
If he has ears , let him listen.

we are seriously in a one chance government certainly this is not the change Nigerians voted for Allah ya Isah*

Strange!, coming from the Nation Newspaper Stable, am pleasantly surprise. However, this is not thier opinion.
There are folks out there who believe they could be of help to the administration of Mr Buhari, but most times when they proffer solutions that does not fit with the thinking of our NEW CONQUEROR(APC), they are considered enemies of Mr Buhari. As it is we wish Mr Buhari, Apc and the Nation Newspaper well.

Don't have time listing names which you already know. Except you are not a Nigerian. PDP is a mess that must be avoided for long until the evil in them is removed completely! !!!

manuelzz:


When you say PDP destroyed Nigeria for the past 16 years,could you be rational enough to mention those PDP members that destroyed Nigeria?