By Oguwike Nwachuku (Executive Editor)
National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Odigie-Oyegun, has confirmed what millions of Nigerians have been saying about their lot in the country today under the leadership of the ruling APC, that there is agony in the land.
Hardship. Suffering. Poverty. Insecurity. Corruption. Unemployment. These and more contribute to the agony of Nigerians. But the efforts the party in power claims to be making are not enough to bring immediate succour. Oyegun accepts in totality, but optimistic things would still get better.
The pretense by the APC administration that things are getting better after two years in power notwithstanding, Oyegun said the truth remains that Nigerians are facing difficult times but with a caveat that “the situation is being addressed.”
The APC Chairman said: “We accept there is agony, difficulty in the land, and we are working to ensure we come out of it.”
He was fielding questions on African Independent Television (AIT) on Tuesday, June 6, on a wide range of issues that border on the APC leadership after two years in power.
Oyegun explained that the crack in the relationship between the executive and the legislature is not new in politics, but was truthful to observe that “what is going on between the executive and the legislature is not ideal.”
However he added: “We are dealing with the situation. There is no perfection in politics or government business. The problem is that we are constantly looking for 100 per cent score perfection, and the question is why? But notwithstanding the so-called face-off the Senate recently passed the PIB, something that has lingered for many years. That is also an achievement. The executive is happy over that.
“The NASS members are elected by their constituencies. There is little you can do to control them. Even in the Senate or House of Representatives, the legislatures are accountable to both the Constitution of the country and the Rules and Procedures guiding their activities. Generally, I think the tempo of the rift is coming down.”
Oyegun acknowledged that as human beings mistakes must always be made saying Nigerians must also understand the role of the executive as being different in most cases from that of the legislature.
He accepted that the challenge of power has remained a recurring decimal. “We are still grappling with the legal challenges in power distribution, and hopefully we will get it right.”
Oyegun refused to accept that he defers so much to President Muhammadu Buhari, hence refuses to take him up on matters like the constitution of board members of agencies and parastatals and funding of party, saying “as soon as the president is available actions would be taken on board membership.”
He said the change the party preaches which Buhari is the arrowhead entails that the APC leadership stays away from devious ways of doing things, including funding of the party, the reason he said the former government was roundly criticised.
“Yes we need money to fund the party’s activities but we are not going to return to the old ways of funding a party through ways and means which the past government was known for and for which billions of naira of taxpayers money were stolen. For us, members of the APC across strata must contribute to fund and run the party. Very soon we will be launching an application on mode of payment for members, and through that we will raise money to deal with the party’s activities,” Oyegun explained.
On a recent report credited to him as having endorsed Buhari for 2019, Oyegun said the APC has not endorsed anyone.
Rather, he said the prayer of the party and its leadership is for Buhari to recover fully through the help of God so that he would be in a position to say he does not want to run in 2019.
“If he is healthy enough he will be getting the right of first refusal,” he said, adding that, “it would be the desire of the APC to ensure that Buhari sees through the change he started if he is in good health in 2019 or even beyond.”