The All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned Nigerians to be wary of presidential aspirants such as Atiku Abubakar and David Mark, who have become “latter-day converts”, that want to “exploit” restructuring as an issue for “populist political campaigns”.

In a statement on Sunday by Yekini Nabena, APC's acting National Publicity Secretary, the party accused past administrations of having “splashed billions of public funds to convene several national conferences, subsequently left conference reports to gather dust”, and yet, “achieved nothing”.

The statement particularly criticised Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice-President, asking: "For instance, Alhaji Atiku was Vice President and Chairman of the National Economic Council throughout the eight years of the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration. How did he use his office to correct the imbalance in our federation he expresses today?"

APC also accused Senator David Mark for spending eight years as the president of the Senate, yet “never sponsored a motion on restructuring”.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and Atiku Abubakar had been in the news over the past few days on their differing stands on restructuring, with the former insisting that Atiku’s stand on the subject is “understandably vague”.

APC agreed with Osinbajo’s view, stating that “Prof. Osinbajo in his well-articulated response to Alh. Atiku, submitted that what Nigeria requires now is not geographic restructuring but good governance, honest management of public resources, deeper fiscal Federalism and a clear vision for development”.

The statement continued: “It must be said that the calls for restructuring by many politicians is often time a populist and opportunistic ploy to latch on and politically exploit simplistic public narratives on the panacea to Nigeria's problems and not necessarily for its realism and practicability.

“Past administrations have splashed billions of public funds to convene several national conferences, subsequently left conference reports to gather dust and achieved NOTHING. Bad governance, corruption, bigotry and other ills remain the limiting factors that continue to hold the country back.

“We must never succumb to ethnic champions who promote campaigns to break up the country into tiny bits or other unrealistic and unpatriotic proposals in the name of restructuring to solve our problems as a country. It is simplistic and unconstitutional.

“As Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo submitted, good governance involves transparency and prudence in public finance, it involves social justice, investing in the poor and providing jobs and opportunities for the people, particularly young people. This remains the focus of the current administration as seen by the several social intervention programmes currently being implemented. Commendably, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is committed to implementing a New National Minimum wage. Also, the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) scheme, comprising: GEEP MarketMoni, GEEP FarmerMoni and GEEP TraderMoni is being executed by the Bank of Industry and providing interest-free loans to petty traders and artisans across Nigeria.

“With the inception of the President Buhari administration, a well-articulated roadmap, considering all the issues involved in ensuring a new, well secured, better governed Nigeria with equitable distribution of resources within the component federating units, is being given serious attention.

“Recall that the APC set up a Committee on True Federalism under the Chairmanship of the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. The Committee submitted its report to the immediate-past National Working Committee, making its recommendations on twenty four items that Nigerians expressed views to balance our federation.

“A practical approach to implement the committee's report is being considered by the Federal Government.

“The APC believes that good, sincere, focused, and purposeful leadership at all levels will propel the country to its deserved heights. Sincere efforts towards achieving True Federalism are more important than politically-exploited populist rhetoric which achieve NOTHING. With emphasis on practicability, constitutionality and reality, we are confident that True Federalism or restructuring as some will like to call it will be better achieved under the President Buhari-led APC administration.”

http://saharareporters.com/2018/09/09/apc-asks-atiku-you-were-vice-president-eight-years-why-didnt-you-restructure-country

Atiku:It was not a national jingle then,and nigerians were sleeping during those years

donbachi:
Atiku:It was not a national jingle then,and nigerians were sleeping during those years

A

No PDP presidential aspirant is talking about tackling corruption, why
We deserve better, not this APC and PDP abeg.

When Atiku was vice president, restructuring wasn't the dominant political issue.

good question

Does a vice president have the executive power to restructure our country?
Can Osinbajo restructure Nigeria?

Atiku: We should have restructured then and that is why I am running to correct the mistake of not re-structuring

Simongm:
No PDP presidential aspirant is talking about tackling corruption, why

We deserve better, not this APC and PDP abeg.

Because we have found out that corruption feeds on over centralization of resources and tribalism. That's why we have to tackle restructuring first so that we can tackle corruption at a smaller level.

With restructuring, you tackle your corruption in Lagos while I tackle mine in Akwa Ibom which near me.
Not me and you at our small street shouting about corruption in faraway Abuja which is what we have been doing over the years with no result

What a stupid thing to ask.

Since when can a VP dictate governance over his president?

these APC guys are dumb sha...


OK, if that's the case, why hasn't osibanjo 'instituted' state police?


https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/282491-osinbajo-disagrees-with-buhari-on-state-police.html

The answer is simple. His boss at that time, OBJ, was anti-restructuring and his VP position didn't give him powers to do anything about it. Obasanjo hates the idea of restructuring with passion, and one of the reasons he hates Atiku is for his stance on restructuring. That's the truth.

And the Ex-PDP repentees who were in the Senate and government then...what were their contribution?

Atiku is only playing upon the intelligence of senseless Nigerians about restructuring. He knows the common sense of many Nigerians have been eroded away thru hunger and poverty he created in the land.

He refund the $40m he laundered thru his 4th wife in US back to Nigeria before promising to build mansion in the castle if elected president in Biafra land.

Dullard and lifeless human seems to be infecting his dumbness..

Even Nabena has been infected..
Zombies now ask dumb questions..

because Tinubu and other ACN (APC) scammers were against it.

The answer is simple..we were not encountering the killings by herdsmen by that time....restructuring is the first step to take in freeing ourselves from the barbarians up north

Good question, he should answer to it

Bodude504:
Good question, he should answer to it

Can Osinbajo, the current VP order for restructuring?

APC & OBJ don't want us to see the light that is why they so much detest this man.

They should better deal with it because he is the better candidate for 2019.

AtikuNetwork:
The answer is simple. His boss at that time, OBJ, was anti-restructuring and his VP position didn't give him powers to do anything about it. Obasanjo hates the idea of restructuring with passion, and one of the reasons he hates Atiku is his stance on restructuring. That's the truth.

And Atiku couldn't resign?

Atiku is coming with full force to ruin Nigeria if given the chance.


He will never get there

They are all bunch of recycled politicians with no new functionality in them. APC and PDP are bird of the same feather, they will somehow later flock together.

Ojiofor:
Does a vice president have the executive power to restructure our country?
Can Osinbajo restructure Nigeria?

it is one presidency, it is osinbajo that is taking most of the lead discussions these days, a useless and daft shouldnt be vice president.

Atiku is confused bigot... Buhari till 2023

LOl, vote Sowore, AAC.

BruncleZuma:


And the Ex-PDP repentees who were in the Senate and government then...what were their contribution?

lol... what a "NOCK-OUT" question u trow there.

The useless party called APC, promised rescructuring.

That question should be directed at obasonjo. Atiku was not in the possible to implement anything. This idiotic APC should stop being clever by half

APC is tryin very 2kil d discourse on restructurin by brinin up non issues
APC promised 2restructure naija bt has failed

That is their new jingle now "restructuring". You ll be very shocked to discover they don't have any blue print on how to actualize this so-called restructuring..