APC Lampoons PDP: What Stopped You From Restructuring In 16-Yrs?

The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has tackled the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, over calls for the restructuring of Nigeria.

The PDP, it would be recalled, had recently weighed in on the calls for the country’s structuring.

Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State had in a phone interview with journalists said the “Presidency is deaf” to the voice of several governors who have allegedly backed the restructuring calls.

“Even if the Presidency is not going to respect the governors, what about those respected national leaders who have been calling for restructuring? Gen. Abdulsalami (Abubakar), has called for restructuring; former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has called for restructuring; respected southerners and northerners have done so and even IBB has today (Monday) urged the government to restructure, but like I said, the Presidency is deaf to the voice of reason,” Fayose had said.

National Vice Chairman of the APC (South-South), Hon. Hilliard Etta, in reaction to the restructuring calls said: “I don’t know if it is essentially about the APC. But some Nigerians are very quick to enter judgement when it comes to APC. The APC has been in power for two years and in these two years, you are aware of what has attended our presidency. It is disingenuous for people to now look at the APC and say those types of things that they say.

“If is unfortunately because, whenever these things are done, I think they are just amplifying or reciting the propaganda of the PDP. The PDP was in power for 16 years and never cared about restructuring. Today, PDP is all over the place talking about restructuring. I think Nigerians should be a little patient with us.

“It is unfortunate that the unsustainable sub structure of Nigeria has brought the current agitations in the manner it has come and at this time when the APC is in power. We we are not afraid of the responsibility and the challenges of the time,” he said.

Speaking on alleged marginalisation of a section the country by the APC administration, Etta said: “there is agitations from almost all parts of the country. The almajaris are agitating for a better life, the Yoruba man is agitating for better governance, the Igbo man is agitating, the Calabar man is agitating.

“There is no ethnic nationality in this country that isn’t agitating. Now we must interrogate who they agitating against and who should they agitate against? I laugh when I hear my Igbo brothers agitating against the Hausa/Fulani, are they to saying that it is the Hausa/Fulani that has marginalized them.

“When I see the Almajiris agitating, are they to saying that it is the Hausa/Fulani that has marginalized them? It is the same thing for the Yoruba, the same for the Igala people, the same thing for the Efik people, the same for the Ibibio people. The truth of the matter is that Nigeria is sharply divided into two; the leaders and others and the people that have marginalized all ethnic nationality are less than one percent of the population of Nigeria and they come from all ethnic nationalities.

“I have done a personal interrogation of those who have superintended over Nigeria and very sadly, I have come to realise only three Hausa/Fulani people have been in charge of Nigeria since independence. The first was Tafa Balewa, the second was Buhari and the third was Yar’dua,” the APC chieftain said.