Forget individual differences so the party can achieve its campaign promises ,President Buhari charges APC leaders
PRESIDENT Buhari yesterday appealed to members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to forget their differences in order for the party to achieve its campaign manifestos of addressing security, economy, employment and corruption.
“If we don’t
kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria,” he stated.
This is just
as the leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, dismissed criticisms from
the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and others that the Buhari
administration was too slow.
He said the
government could not clean the 16-year- mess of the PDP in 30 days.
Tinubu also
debunked speculations that he was at odds with the President because of his
alleged demands for political patronage by the party.
Meanwhile,
with Monday’s sacking of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and Service Chiefs
appointed by his predecessor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, and their replacement with
new hands, Buhari may have taken the first steps towards commencing a probe of
the Nigerian military which he had promised during his campaign.
As a result,
there is an unusual disquiet within security circles as guesses go on as to
what nature and toll the probe would take.
Buhari who
hosted the party leadership to Ramadan fast at the new Banquet Hall at the
Presidential Villa, went down memory lane of how the party surmounted many
obstacles to emerge strong enough to dislodge the PDP, urging members to lay
aside their differences and unite for the sake of the country.
Buhari who
commended Tinubu, the first chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande and the
former chairman of the defunct All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP), Chief
Ogbonnaya Onu, for their sterling leadership roles in the consummation of the
alliances that led to the birth of the APC, said it was important to reflect on
their journey in order for them to appreciate how lucky they are as a political
group.
Speaking to
State House correspondents after the dinner, Tinubu denied media speculations
that he had fallen out of favour with the President because of the later’s
alleged refusal to patronize him politically, saying he was a loyal party
member who believed in the philosophies and the ideals of the President.
According to
him, “I have no demands of the party. If you understand what party politics and
leadership is all about, it is about loyalty and commitment to the values which
the leadership believes in. I believe in what the President believes in, I
respect him and I stand firmly loyal to his cause.
“So you can
go to any length of speculation. I have not responded to all of that because I
understand the President and the President understands me clearly too.”
Explaining
his apparent silence on the festering crisis trailing the June 9 election of
the leadership of the National Assembly, Tinubu said: “That is an area where I
am very cautious of my position and my utterances. I still want to keep my side
of the interpretation or analysis to be able to achieve a resolution of the
matter as quickly as possible.
“I am
backing what the President has carefully enumerated and articulated to the
party. The party is supreme. The party must have disciplined leadership and
followers. The party’s process must be respected because that is the confidence
and the trust of the people.”
“However in
every environment, we should conflict, that is politics and conflict resolution
mechanism would be applied to resolve all the problems so we are there. There
is honour in every struggle and every competition; there must be honour in
victory too.”
He said the
APC was conscious of the expectations of Nigerians saying that it would
not repeat the mistakes of the PDP. His words, “We are different, we cannot be
PDP, we are APC, we will not repeat their mistakes. We know their mistakes,
errors, we understand what Nigeria wanted and Nigerians gave this party victory
because of our manifesto.
“We are pro
people, we are progressives. We have had a conservative government in the last
16 years, this is a progressive party, just coming in barely 30 days. We
understand the hope of Nigerians, we understand the expectations of Nigerians,
we believe in that expectation and in our promise of prosperity to the
people. We will not change that.”
While
spokespersons for Defence, Army, Navy and Air Force have not issued a statement
regarding the itinerary for handing or taking over, it is the President’s
appointment of Major-Gen. Tukur Buratai from Course 29 set as the Chief of Army
Staff that would set in motion the retirement of many senior officers.
Meanwhile,
following criticisms of his Monday evening twitter message that: “Appointment
of Service Chiefs is the exclusive function of the President. Senate can only
confirm ministerial appointments”, Senate President Abubakar Olusola Saraki
issued another statement to explain his earlier position.
A Federal
High Court, sitting in Abuja, had on July 1, 2013 ruled that any appointment of
Service Chiefs by the President without approval of the National Assembly is
unconstitutional and illegal.
Justice
Adamu Bello declared the appointments of the Service Chiefs without the
National Assembly’s approval as null and void because they did not conform with
Section 18 (1) and (2) of the Armed Forces Act, Cap. A20, Laws of the
Federation.
A military
source said that the appointments actualise the pledge by Buhari
when he was campaigning for votes to probe and restructure the military on
assumption of office.
On February
1, 2015, Buhari, then a presidential candidate of the APC stated during his
campaign in Bauchi, that he would probe the Nigerian military, accusing the
high command of incompetence and sluggish execution of the war against Boko
Haram.
He also
accused them of corruption, vowing that they will account for the huge
budgetary allocation to Defence and the way they procured military equipment to
prosecute the war.
The
statement released then by his campaign organisation read: “What he (Buhari)
said at every given opportunity is that he is keenly interested in knowing what
has gone wrong, if any, with the army that he knew. When he has access to them
as Commander-in-Chief, he will like to hear from his commanders what the
problems they are dealing with are so that they can be solved.
“In a
democracy such as ours, all institutions of government, including the armed
forces, are accountable. No country can achieve results in its
counter-terrorism efforts when there is no transparency in the management of
huge resources for the purpose. He will reinvigorate the Armed Forces and
restore their rapidly- evaporating morale,” the statement had concluded.
The
appointment of Buratai marks the first time since the return of democracy that
such a large number of Courses will have to go to enable the President pick his
choice, Chief of Army Staff.
For example,
Lt.-Gen Victor Malu, who served from May 1999 to April 2001, was of Course 3
while Gen. Alexander Ogomudia, who succeeded him from April 2001 to June 2003,
was Course 7. Similarly, Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (2003 to 2006) was Course 9
while the late Gen. Andrew Owoye Azazi (June 2006 – May 2007) was Course 12.
Late Lt.-Gen Luka Yusuf (June 2007 to August 2008) was Course 14. Lt.-Gen
Abdulrahman Dambazzau (2008 to 2010) was of the 17 Regular Course. Gen.
Azubuike Ihejirika (2010 to 2014) was Course 18 while Gen. Minimah, who was
appointed on January 2015, is Course 25.
The planned
probe of the military is also in line with the advice of former President
Olusegun Obasanjo who in a letter dated March 31, 2015, told Buhari: “With so
much harm already done to many national institutions including the military,
which proudly nurtured you and me, you will have a lot to do on institution
reform.”
Similarly, a critic of the Jonathan administration and Second Republic Federal lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Mohammed also advised that “given what we have seen in the military lately, Buhari must move immediately to clear the armed forces of politicians and ensure that only dedicated officers and men, who are willing to work for the country, are allowed in the system.”
Similarly, a critic of the Jonathan administration and Second Republic Federal lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Mohammed also advised that “given what we have seen in the military lately, Buhari must move immediately to clear the armed forces of politicians and ensure that only dedicated officers and men, who are willing to work for the country, are allowed in the system.”
Another
military source said for the fight against insurgents to be intensified, the
need to change the leadership of the military is imperative because “the chiefs
knew they were going to be relieved of their appointments, so that focused
commitment was no more there, even though they were allowed to carry on for 43
days into the new administration.”
The case,
instituted by Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo, had challenged the practice of
appointing military chiefs by the President without seeking the approval of the
National Assembly.
Keyamo had
argued in court that the appointments of Service Chiefs, which are political
appointments, could not be different from other political appointments that
require the confirmation of the National Assembly such as the Chief Justice of
Nigeria, Justices of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, Chairman of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, ministers, and so on.
Based on
that judgment, which has not been appealed till date, Jonathan sought and got
the approval of the National Assembly in January 2014 when he appointed Alex
Badeh as the Chief of Defence Staff, Kenneth Minimah as the Chief of Army
Staff, Usman Jibrin as the Chief of Naval Staff and Adesola Nunayon Amosu as
the Chief of Air Staff.
In a
statement issued by the Media Office of the Senate President in Abuja
yesterday, it was made clear that Saraki’s twitter message was not intended to
mean that Senate had no role in the appointment of Service Chiefs.
The
statement also said: ‘‘For the avoidance of doubt, Saraki has said his comment
is without prejudice to extant laws and court pronouncements on the issue and
therefore that the Senate will do the needful when the list of the new Service
Chiefs is sent to it by Mr. President.’’
The Senate
President himself, in a new tweet yesterday, said: “This is to clarify the
earlier position which was not up to date and does not represent the position
of the Senate President on the issue of screening of the newly appointed
service chiefs. The Senate will perform its constitutional duty when it
receives communication from the President on the appointments.”
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