Party warns against plot to unseat five governors
The Opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday urged the National Assembly to launch a probe into “constitutional violations” by President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
The party said the lawmakers should act in consonance with the dictates of the constitution “to save our nation from falling off a fiscal cliff caused by excessive theft and corruption”.
The APC, in a communique signed by its Interim National Chair Chief Bisi Akande after the 7th regular meeting of its Interim National Executive Committee (NEC), followed up its call on Sunday for Jonathan’s impeachment.
Yesterday’s meeting was attended by Governors Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers) and Rabiu Kwakwanso (Kano), who defected last month along with three of their colleagues from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.
Governors of Adamawa, Sokoto and Kwara states, who also defected to the party, were represented at the meeting.
Also there was the leader of the New PDP, Alhaji Kawu Baraje.
Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Dr. Ogbononanya Onu and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff also attended the meeting.
The APC alleged gross abuse of the ecological funds “through its selective and unjust disbursement to only non-APC states”. Such states – 16 in all – were recently given N2billion each – secretly.
It also noted the “revelation of the diversion of revenues that ought to have been paid into the Federal Account running into trillions of naira”. Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has said about $49billion of such cash, which should have been remitted to the Federation Account by the Nigeria Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) were unremitted. The NNPC has disagreed.
The APC also alleged that “other budget amounts for parastatals , pensions and the fuel subsidy that ought to have been properly accounted for are similarly plundered with impunity”.
Sanusi raised the allegation in a letter to the President, saying NNPC failed to remit $49.8b into the Federation Account.
About N500 billion that should have been remitted to the SURE-P – a government interventionist agency – has also been declared un-remitted.
The ministry of Finance has also denied that the money is “missing”.
The APC said the “serial failure” of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct successful by-elections in some states – Imo, Delta and Jigawa- as well as the governorship election in Anambra State, had raised doubts about INEC’s capability to conduct a credible election in 2015.
It spoke about intimidation of its members in Abia State and the impunity in Rivers State, which it said could plunge the country into political turmoil.
“Sadly, in the course of the meeting, the APC learnt that another deadly attack was perpetrated against the Rivers Government House where the office of the Deputy Governor was partly destroyed. This and other acts of impunity clearly show the PDP, its agents and governments to be lawless. The APC warns that these acts demonstrate clearly that this government is anti-people, dictatorial and would go to any length to plunge the country into chaos.
“The APC is concerned with the situation in Rivers State. This display of impunity and the Faustian bargain between the police commissioner and a handful of rebel legislators has gone on for a full year. It must stop. Now is the time for all men and women of goodwill to speak up against the assault on an elected government and violations of the right of Rivers citizens. The international community is hereby put on notice that Nigeria’s democratic journey unravels and Rivers State might be the lightening torch for Nigeria’s descent into impunity.
“We wish to re-state that whatever touches one APC state affects the entire party. Our party will therefore not stand idly by and watch democracy desecrated in Rivers State or elsewhere in the country for that matter.”
The APC also warned that it would not accept “the deliberate disenfranchisement of large swathes of our citizenry”, vowing to fight to defend the right of every eligible Nigerian voter to vote.
“We also want to alert the Federal Government that any attempt to extend the state of emergency without any justification will be resisted by every lawful and constitutional means”, the party said, adding:
“President Jonathan should, therefore, live up to his responsibilities by ensuring that every part of Nigeria is safe enough for elections, as our citizens expect nothing less.”
The APC had earlier alerted the nation of what it described as the strategy of the Jonathan administration to depopulate areas it has strong following and suppress voter turnout in the Northern and Southwest states through deliberate exacerbation of insecurity.
“We suspect that wittingly or unwittingly the recent declaration of INEC that elections are not likely to take place in states under state of emergency is in furtherance of this agenda,” it added.
The communiqué said touched on what it described as an attempt to remove the five governors who defeated to it. It said: “The APC has noted with concern the threats of the PDP to procure a pliant judge to declare the seats of the G-5 governors vacant in spite of the Supreme Court decision in the case of Atiku in 2007.
“It is of note that several times governors, including legislators from other parties have defected from the ANPP and PPA to the PDP even when their former parties were not factionalised without any consequence. The APC hereby warns the PDP to desist from words and deeds of impunity that threaten our stability and democracy.
“ We also hope that the judiciary will not be a party to the deliberate promotion of lawlessness and impunity in our country. APC will give its governors and lawmakers the necessary support in defence of their rights and freedoms of association.”
