APC to scuttle recommendations of Confab at the National Assembly National Chairman, All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun The All Progressives Congress has vowed to reject the outcome of the National Conference likely to be submitted to the National Assembly by President Goodluck Jonathan. The APC did not send any representative to the National Conference, which it described as a jamboree. APC members in the National Assembly, who spoke with Saturday PUNCH in Abuja, vehemently spoke against the Confab while insisting that the expected report meant nothing to them. The Chairman, Senate Committee on Science and Technology, Senator Robert Boroffice, (APC, Ondo North), in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, said whether any northern group called for the rejection of the conference report or not, his party had taken a decision to oppose its outcome. He said, “Our position as the APC caucus in the Senate is not different from that of our party. The President just handpicked his canvassers and organised a jamboree national conference for them. The whole exercise is a waste of money. “There are past reports that can be put together which had addressed all the issues affecting the country. We don’t need a conference to tackle corruption, insurgency and poverty, among others. “Personally, some of the recommendations of the conference are capable of dividing this country; there are obvious cleavages in their recommendations that are pointing to that fact, especially the issue of resource control.” The Senate Minority Leader, Senator George Akume, (APC, Benue North West), said his party was opposed to the National Conference because it was considered a jamboree. He particularly faulted the recommendation of the conference, which seeks to make legislative duties part-time. Akume stated, “I do not believe their recommendation on the issue of part-time legislature because it is the answer to executive impunity.” The Senate Minority Leader described legislature as a full-time job. According to him, the recommendation for part-time legislature in Nigeria will not see the light of the day. He said, “Such a misplaced recommendation is unacceptable to majority of Nigerians and in particular, serving legislators in the country.” But the APC members in the House of Representatives differed from their colleagues in the Senate. The APC Caucus at the House took a slightly different position from the APC members in the Senate. The House caucus said it would treat the conference report from the “point of national interest.” The leader of the caucus, who is also the Minority Leader of the House, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, told Saturday PUNCH that rather than reject the report outright, members would look at the issues and vote on the side of Nigerians. Gbajabiamila also advised against pre-empting the “final report” of the conference. He said, “I am not aware that any group is mounting pressure on members to take the report in a particular way. “Let us not pre-empt the conference; when they send the report to the National Assembly, I believe the proper thing to do is to follow the wishes of Nigerians.” The APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said it was best to wait and see what happens when the report gets to the National Assembly. Asked whether the party would encourage its lawmakers to shoot down the report, he simply said “Let us wait and see.”
Posted on: Sat, 26 Jul 2014 11:01:10 +0000
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