Oyegun is in competition with stand-up
comedians—Afenifere
Faulting Oyegun’s position, the
pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere said the APC chairman’s
comments show he is in competition with stand up comedians. Afenifere’s
National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yinka Odumakin said that the APC would be
remembered as the greatest tragedy to have befallen Nigeria should it continue
to prevent restructuring.
Odumakin said: “Oyegun appears to
be in competition with our stand up comedians. What have they done to devolve
power in the last two years? On whose table is he providing food? The Nassarawa
workers who were breaking their fast with water and citizens who are stealing
pots of soup and eba out of hunger will soon march to Abuja on a thank you
visit to him. But let him know that their government will be remembered as the
greatest tragedy that befell Nigeria if they continued their obstinacy against
the restructuring clamour around which a national consensus is already built.”
APC have shamelessly and brazenly proved them to be liars.
Also reacting, Executive
Secretary of the Nigerian National Summit Group, NNSG, Mr. Tony Uranta said
“The APC Manifesto expressly states that Restructuring is a priority! Oyegun
and co. may decide to, yet again, attempt to tell us that dogs are monkeys, but
that will not change the truth. Nigerians have ceased to be disappointed in the
APC leadership’s penchant for revisionism and mendacious fabrications, even
when such have shamelessly and brazenly proved them to be liars.”
Oyegun might have been quoted out of context
On his part, Afenifere chieftain,
Chief Supo Shonibare said Oyegun might have been quoted out of context noting
that the APC chairman was part of the struggle for democracy. Shonibare said:
“Chief Oyegun and others were with us in the struggle for democracy and I am
inclined to believe that he must have been quoted out of context. To be able to
restructure the present structure, devolving powers from the omnibus,
ineffective, collectively unrepresentative centre is a condition precedent.
That was what Chief Oyegun, Asiwaju Tinubu and all of us in NADECO were
agitating for.”
“I was the Chairman of the constitution drafting committee of
NADECO in 1995; our draft report contained enumerated powers to be retained by
the government of the federal entity, with residual powers to the regions as
was contained in our Independence and even Republican Constitutions,” he added.
Besides, he said: “This was the contract our founding leaders voluntarily
entered into. The independence constitution is the only constitutional document
that has some foundation of a claim to being autochthonous. All subsequent
constitutions have been contrived by the Military in concerto with our power
brokers & money mongers.”
Oyegun has demonstrated a limited understanding of his party’s manifesto
In his reaction, Mr. Akin
Osuntokun, Political Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo berated
Oyegun-Oyegun saying he has demonstrated a limited understanding of his party’s
manifesto. Osuntokun said: “To the extent that what he claims is not consistent
with the APC party manifesto-is the extent to which Oyegun, his party, and
Nigeria should be pitied. At best he has demonstrated a limited understanding
of his party’s manifesto and ignorance of what constitutes restructuring. If we
discountenance the minimalist shortcoming, he doesn’t even seem to understand
that devolution itself is restructuring – restructuring of power relations
between the centre and the states. So this is a major aspect of the political
failure of Nigeria – that the chairman of the governing party is incapable of
understanding his party’s manifesto.”
Meanwhile, some northern leaders gave their
perspectives on the issue with a warning to Nigerians not to fall to the antics
of politicians.
Three leaders- Benue Governor, Dr. Samuel Ortom, Prof Ango
Abdullahi, former Vice Chancellor of the Ahamadu Bello University and a Second
Republic lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, all pleaded for caution.
Let’s return to regional and parliamentary system
Ango Abdullahi Abdullahi said: “The elite
that have been attending national conferences to restructure Nigeria have contributed
to the destabilisation of Nigeria. Nigeria should go back to the regional
structure which made the centre weak but promoted development at the state and
local levels,” Abdullahi suggested.
On his part, Mohammed said: “As
far as I am concerned, there is nothing to restructure again. Those asking for
restructuring should tell the rest of us what is to be restructured and why. I
am comfortable with the structure of the government as it is. If anybody feels
he can agitate himself to power, I wish them good luck. My candid advice to
those who do not recognise the game plan of some of the agitators is that they
should be careful so that they do not fall into the antics of some desperate
and overzealous politicians who are out to plunge Nigeria into avoidable crisis
for their own selfish interests.
There is no need to further whittle the powers of the federal government in favour of the states
“There is no need to further whittle the
powers of the federal government in favour of the states because even the
altruistic ceding of powers from the exclusive list to the concurrent for governors
to take over primary schools has resulted in non-payment of salaries to workers
the deplorable state of primary schools across the country. “Ceding more powers
to the states would create more havoc for workers and other citizens as some of
the states pay more attention to managing security votes than caring for the
welfare of the people. Let NASS handle all issues relating to Restructuring.
Nigerians should make their position known to the NASS for necessary legislation on the matter.
Gov Ortom Ortom, on his part,
“Rather than raise the alarm and cause undue tension in the land, Nigerians can
make their position known to the NASS for necessary legislation on the matter.”
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