The All Progressives Congress, APC, has reacted to rumours of an alleged rift between President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
The party in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, accused the media and critics of the Buhari administration including the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP of sponsoring such rumours
The 16 paged statement urged Nigerians against falling into the superficial in assessing actions of government.
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The party said, “First, the conspirators went on overdrive following the setting up of the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) comprising some of Nigeria’s most independent-minded economists (some vocally critical of government’s fiscal policies) to advise the President on economic policy matters, including fiscal analysis, economic growth and a range of internal and global economic issues, working with the relevant cabinet members and heads of monetary and fiscal agencies.
“Constitutionally, while the power of the Vice President is derived from the President, the conspirators deliberately choose to ignore Section 141 of the Constitution, which spells out the Vice President’s statute membership in the National Security Council, the National Defence Council, Federal Executive Council, and the Chairman of National Economic Council.
“Then, sponsored hogwash reports emanated that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) gave the Vice President N90billion for the 2019 election — a rejected and disgraceful template of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which saw the party deploy public and counter insurgency funds to finance their political activities during their failed 16-year rule of the country.”
On the movement of the National Social Investment Programmes (N-SIPs) which was under Osinbajo to the Ministry of Humanitarian, the party said the conspirators are desperately trying to link government decisions to support the conspiracies.
Continuing, the party said, “In the same October 1 address, the President announced the recent redeployment of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF). Was this also to ‘whittle down’ the powers of the OSGF?
“In our respective and collective efforts to support the development of our country, we cannot afford to fall into the superficial in assessing actions of government.”
APC further said the President’s action is an indication of the importance he attaches to policies that are targeted at the poor.
“Warehousing all Social Investment Programmes, such as N-Power, Conditional Cash Transfers, National Home-Grown School Feeding and Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programmes (GEEP) under a full Ministry and appointing a substantive Minister with the full complement of civil service structure is a statement of President Buhari’s renewed commitment to pulling millions of Nigerians out of poverty,” the party said.