President Muhammadu Buhari has told the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) to prepare for elections with the release of the timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He had also assured that he was conversant with criticisms about the slow pace of his government particularly on the appointment of members of the board of parastatals.
Speaking at the opening of the meeting of the national caucus of the party at the presidential villa, Abuja, on Monday night, he said: “I am very much aware of opinions and criticisms about the pace of government. In particular, the delay in appointments to boards of parastatals. Many boards have been inaugurated so far.
“Now that INEC has come out with the timetable for elections in 2019, the Party should prepare itself for congresses at a. Wards, b. Local Governments, c. States and d. Centre.
“We should strictly follow the constitution of the Party in undertaking these party elections. We should ensure internal democracy and avoid shortcuts and illegal manoeuvres which have characterized the opposition party with the consequences that they are now divided.
“The APC has a history of conducting free and fair primaries whenever consensus about any candidacy is not reached. Regardless of the outcomes of the primary processes, it is imperative that we all work together to ensure the victory of our party.”
The president blasted the former ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for presiding over the looting of the nation’s resources saying: “It is easy to forget that we succeeded a government with a record of unprecedented theft and systematic mismanagement.
“Nigeria was fast heading for a state of collapse. It is easy to forget the fuel subsidy fraud, arms fund diversion, depleted excess de Account savings, depleted foreign reserves, massive unpaid debts to contractors and suppliers amidst failure to invest or even maintain our infrastructure namely railways, roads, electricity, in spite of having earned over US$500 billion from Oil & Gas alone, during the 16 years of PDP rule.
“Lest we forget, we must always remind ourselves of the dire situation in which we came to office.
“Therefore we must not be shy in projecting our tremendous achievements from 2015 to date. The
territorial integrity of Nigeria longer under threat.
“A number of security challenges still exist, but they exist in even the most well policed and
well-secured countries.
“I am confident that the measures we are taking will tackle the acts of rural banditry,
herdsmen/farmers conflicts, communal clashes, kidnappings and other crimes.”
While thanking the party leaders for their hard work, dedication and sacrifice, Buhari stressed
that to succeed, members must strictly follow the provisions of the constitution of the party.
He recalled that he has appointed Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to reconcile aggrieved members and urged
party members to cooperate with him.
Buhari said added: “I now turn to the party differences in various states. To this end, I have
appointed a committee, headed by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a leader of the Party, to reconcile
differences in various states. We hope the committee will be given maximum support and cooperation
to enable it to satisfactorily carry out its work and get the party united in purpose and in shape
for the battles ahead.“
Also speaking, the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, warmed the path
hierarchy of the challenging times ahead, advising them to brace up to be able to surmount them.
He noted that the journey so far had not been smooth but the party had weathered the storm.
According to him, “I wish to note that the road so far has not been smooth sailing, but we have
weathered the storm.
“We should be truly proud of the achievements of our government at all levels.
“We must brace ourselves to face and overcome challenges that will come our way this year, and they
are going to be tough. Elections are generally very emotive.”
He reiterated his support for the Tinubu reconciliation committee and encouraged others to support
it.
The party boss said: “I therefore fully support the Asiwaju Peace Committee constituted by the
President to reconcile all aggrieved groups within the Party, and I encourage all of us to support
the committee.
“The success of this committee will provide great impetus to the realization of victory for the
party in the forthcoming general elections.”
The party boss urged party members to shun selfish interest for the sake of the party.
He added:,“As we go into these elections, let us summon our individual and collective sense of duty
to causes bigger than ourselves, and pledge to rise above our personal ambition to support the
general good.
“Let us also think outside the box and find ways to reduce or eliminate the disputations that can
arise from unfulfilled expectations.”
The meeting taking place at the Banquet Hall, was also being attended by Vice President Yemi
Osinbajo, Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; State governors, the national
leadership of the party and other critical party stakeholders but Senate President Bukola Saraki
was absent.
The meeting was a prelude to the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting also expected
to be presided over by the president on Tuesday.
The agenda of the meeting included party constitution amendment, schedule of 2018 party activities,
report of the committee on true federalism, INEC timetable/Electoral Act, presentation of 2018
draft budget, party constitution amendment, brief in national security and any other business.
