*Say no funds to execute 2019 elections
Leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have issued an
advisory to
President Mohammadu Buhari: Do not present yourself for election in 2019.
Pointblanknews.com has learned that at a recent meeting of party leaders
and members of the National Assembly presided by the Chairman of the
party, Chief John Oyegun in Abuja, party chieftains, irked by the economic
downturn in the country occasioned by the recession declared by the
government, expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that President Buhari
has alienated those who worked for the party’s victory in the 2015 general
elections.
The meeting was called to resolve the lingering impasse between the
executive and legislative arms of government where Chief Oyegun called on
members to show
solidarity with the president in order to allow his policies sail through
especially the anti-graft policy of government as it concerns the
confirmation of Ibrahim Magu as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Oyegun specifically asked members to confirm Magu and expedite action on
other
executive bills including the all important 2017 budget. Oyegun’s appeal,
however, received an immediate backlash from members, who wondered why he
never intervenes until there is a crisis.
He was accused of tilting his interventionist approach in favour of
President
Buhari, never considering the view or position of the members of the
legislature.
“Why is it that you never call for meetings to know the welfare and
wellbeing of
your children. Your intervention most times is half-hearted because as
chairman, you should have a balanced approach in dealing with issues
concerning the two arms of government.
“The impression here is that you only show up when you think the President
is having difficulty having his way in the legislature but you never
present our position to the president in a way that would engender a
harmonious relationship between us.
The President needs to understand our position on this and other related
matters. Please, convey our position to him, Mr Chairman”, a vocal
Senator at the meeting told Chief Oyegun.
More than anything else, party chieftains drew the attention of the
chairman to the fact that President Buhari, has, unwittingly been
patronising and empowering the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
through continuation and extension of contracts started by the former
President Goodluck Jonathan’s government.
They listed major road contracts, power and housing projects among others as
contracts where PDP chieftains have interests or are shareholders in such
companies noting that continued payments and extension of such contracts
was another way of empowering the opposition and alienating further the
ruling party from accessing funds.
“The implication of this, Mr Chairman, is that the opposition continues to be
empowered as you are paying for contracts awarded by the PDP government
and not
awarding fresh ones that would accommodate our party men. How do we fight
the battle of 2019 when the opposition is flush with funds to execute the
election.
“We are almost in the third year of this administration yet we do not have
what it takes to fund the next election”, a chieftain of the party, who
was at the meeting, told Pointblanknews.
Following the development, party members at the meeting advised President
Buhari to reconsider his intention to run for the 2019 general election as
some of his
policies and paucity of funds needed to execute the election has eaten up
the
party’s political capital.