Criticizes President Buhari on Economy, security, State Police
Onyedi Igwe, Port Harcourt
The governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party have called on the National Assembly to immediately revisit the Electoral Act Amendment Bill which was vetoed by the President.
The Governor made the demand in a communique issued after a meeting at the Rivers State Government House, Port Harcourt, on Monday.
The called the NASS to explore the two options open them: to either override the President’s veto or expunge the the area of disagreement with the President in the bill.
The Governor of Sokoto State, and Chairman of the Forum, Aminu Tambuwal, who read the communique said that the National Assembly has a responsibility to ensure that the bill becomes an act before the 2023 general elections.
He stressed that the early conclusion on the sensitive issue of the Electoral Act was critical to the conduct of free, fair and credible election in 2023.
“The PDP Governors requested the National Assembly to quickly conclude deliberations on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill either by overriding Mr President’s veto or deleting areas of complaints.
“The meeting advised that the option of sustaining Mr. President’s veto would lead to a quicker resolution and would deny Mr President the opportunity to once again truncate a reformed Electoral jurisprudence for Nigeria. An early concluded Electoral Act is vital for credible elections.” The communique read part.
The forum bemoaned the rampant killings of innocent Nigerians and what they described as the near collapse of the security apparatus in the country.
The governors criticized President Buhari for the worsening insecurity and economic woes of the country.
They condemned his hardline position of state police which they believed would have reduced the current security challenges in the country.
“The meeting lamented the continued state of insecurity in the country, the persistent and ceaseless flow of Nigerians’ blood on a daily basis in many parts of Nigeria, the near collapse of the security situation in Nigeria.
“The strategies to confront terrorists, kidnappers, bandits and other criminals is still a major problem of the APC administration.
“The meeting expressed regrets that Mr President is unwilling, from his recent comments discountenancing the proposals for state policing, to participate in reviewing the structural problems of tackling insecurity in Nigeria.
“The meeting urges Mr President to reconsider his position and consider decentralisation and restructuring of the security architecture as the most viable solution, together with proper arming, funding and training requirements for security agencies.”
The governors lamented that Nigeria has become the poverty capital of the world under the current administration in spite of the fact that the PDP handed over a $550 billion economy which was the largest in Africa to the APC.
The governors said: “In particular, it is clear that the APC Government is a massive failure when compared with the records of PDP in government. The PDP handed over a $550 billion economy (the largest in Africa), but under APC, Nigeria is the Poverty Capital of the world.
“In 2015, under PDP, the exchange rate was N198 per Dollar, it is now under APC almost N500 to a Dollar; In 2015, unemployment rate was 7.3% under PDP, it is now 33%, one of the highest in the world under APC; In 2015, the Pump price of Petroleum was N87 per litre, it is now N165 per litre and climbing under APC. Debt Servicing now under APC takes over 98% of the Federal budget. The tale of woe is endless.”
Present at the meeting were the governors of Sokoto, Aminu Tambuwal; Akwa Ibom, Udom Emmanuel; Bayelsa, Senator Douye Diri; Benue, Samuel Ortom; Delta, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa; Enugu, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; Rivers, Nyesom Wike; Oyo, Abiodun Makinde; Adamawa, Umaru Fintiri and Bauchi, Bala Muhammed.
The governors further decried the management of the nation’s oil and gas resources which they said was devoid of transparency.
They stressed that remittances from the Federation Account had remained shrouded in confusion.
The Governors noted that even “the NNPC Ltd under the Petroleum Industry Act has not been properly streamlined to ensure that the interests of all the tiers of government are protected, consistent with the 1999 Constitution.”
