By Bolaji Ogundele, Abuja

The forums of All Progressives Congress (APC) states’ chairmen in the South-East and the South-South have registered support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s order for forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission’s (NDDC) accounts.

The forums, in two statements made available in Abuja on Sunday, also called on Buhari to urgently inaugurate the new board to superintend over the commission’s activities for a holistic review and reforms.

The statements signed by the chairman, APC in Akwa-Ibom State, Hon. Ini Okopido and leader of the South-South chairmen of the forum, and his Abia State counterpart, Hon. Donatus Nwankpa, who is the leader of South-East chairmen of the forum respectively, said the new board will do a good job probing the past of the commission.

The forum expressed satisfaction on the caliber of those the President has already appointed to take over the task of the region’s development and appealed for their inauguration to pilot the affairs of the Commission, bringing to bear their wealth of experience.

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“The forum is of the view that since neither the Chairman nor Managing Director designate of the newly constituted NDDC board has served in the Commission in the period 2001 to 2019 in reference, they will be able to dispassionately carry out reforms that will revamp the Commission and correct the inadequacies of the previous boards vis-a-viz address the infrastructural decay in the region,” the statement said.

Describing the other appointees as having the capacity and right attitude to revamp the region, the APC state chairmen unanimously called on President Buhari to urgently inaugurate members of the new board because the appointees have distinguished themselves as men and women of integrity, who have also laboured for the growth and development of the party.

However, they noted that anyone who has served in the previous boards under investigation should be dropped by the Senate to avoid interference with the audit process.

The statement added that the development of the region is a collective task that is paramount to the state chairmen as sound legacies bequeathed to the Niger Delta people will have overall impacts on the region’s socio-economic well being.