Senate President Ahmad Lawan
President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, has disclosed that the
future of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) appears uncertain
after the exit of President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration in
2023.
He said the APC may face challenges after the exit of President Buhari
from office in less than two years, except timely interventions are
taken by the ruling party to avert defeat.
Lawan, who gave the warning last night in a speech delivered to close
the First Progressives Youth Conference 2021 in Abuja, stressed that
the party must begin to plan ahead to sustain the goodwill and
legacies of the present administration by ensuring that its leaders
hand over power to competent youths in the All Progressives Congress
According to him, by doing so, the party would be able to retain its
appeal and nationalistic outlook beyond the 2023 general election.
He said: “Whether we like it or not, the truth is, President Muhammadu
Buhari remains the person with the bulk of the support we get across
this country in APC. And when he leaves, he would still have some
roles, but I dare say that it is after he leaves office that APC will
face its challenge. Yes, we have to know our value then, and the value
of APC presently is APC minus President Muhammadu Buhari. Whatever it
is, that is the value of APC.
“So, we need to do a lot to build this party, and we need our youths
more than ever before for them to continue with this legacy that this
administration has established all over the country. That means we
have to see ourselves as brothers and sisters regardless of where we
come from,” he said.
The Senate President added that, “our tribe or even ethnic group, our
religious persuasion should not matter when it comes to uniting this
country. And as APC, the onus is on us to provide security and an
economy that will bring growth and development to give people the kind
of life that is meaningful. We can ask others to join us, but we are
the ones to do it, so we need all hands on deck.”
He lamented that the plan of the APC to deliver on most of its
promises to Nigerians was stalled in the first tenure of the President
Buhari-led administration as a result of the feud between the National
Assembly and the Executive arm of government.
“When we were voted in 2019 as leaders of the National Assembly, we
were conscious of one thing, that our mandate that was given to us by
Nigerians in 2015 had suffered disruption and dislocation. For four
years (2015 to 2019), our government could not perform optimally
because of the then crisis between the parliament – the National
Assembly – and the Executive arm of government. So, APC had already
lost four very important years. And, that was supposed to be the years
that we should have convinced Nigerians that they took the right
decision by voting out a PDP administration in 2015.
What are our options? We are one party in different arms of
government. Our policies are supposed to be the same. Our programmes
and projects are supposed to be the same, whether you’re in the
legislature or the executive. So long as you are APC, that is your
programme and project, that is your government and you are bound to
make it succeed.
“So, we took the conscious decision of working in harmony that our
relationship must be characterised by consultation, coordination,
partnership and mutual respect, that we must succeed in the second
tenure (2019 – 2023). Otherwise, in 2023, many would like to see our
backs if you can’t provide the services expected of you in your first
four years.” He explained/
Lawan further disclosed that the ongoing amendment to the 1999
constitution will accord priority to inclusion of youths in
governance.
He explained that the aim was to ensure that power is divested to
younger generation in a way that allows them to participate in the
process.
(THISDAY)
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