The leaders declared their position, just as APC’s Deputy National Secretary, Mallam El-Rufai, yesterday, accused President Goodluck Jonathan of using ethnicity and religion as major instruments in dividing Nigerians towards his 2015 Presidential ambition.
Speaking at separate interviews with The Guardian, Senator Ayo Fasanmi, Professor Akinjide Osuntokun and former Governor of Ekiti State, Niyi Adebayo, stressed that, although the new party had a huge influence in the zone through the now defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), it is prepared to push for a more united Nigeria with the support of other parts of the country duly represented in the APC merger.
Adebayo, who is also the Interim Vice Chairman of the APC in South West, described the perception that the party is hinged on personalities of Tinubu and Buhari as wrong, saying that it is, instead, a congregation of well-meaning individuals who have a lot to contribute to Nigeria’s nascent democracy.
“The Party consists of more than two people. The APC does not belong to two or three persons; no, it is a party that belongs to millions of its supporters. Yes, there are individuals who have taken the lead in the merger process; but it is not a party that belongs to any individual. When people say it is built around some persons, they do so to denigrate the party.”
Professor Osuntokun, who is a member of Presidential Advisory Council on International Relations and former Ambassador to Germany, said the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is good for Nigeria, because it would thicken the political climate and give Nigerians a credible opposition party to consider if the sitting Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) fails to live up to expectation.
He stressed that the issue is not about Tinubu delivering the Southwest or Buhari delivering the North, as “nobody can deliver anybody.”
On his part, Fasanmi debunked the insinuation that APC runs a one-man show, stressing that it neither pursues Yoruba nor Southwest agenda. He said the character of Bisi Akande is enough to challenge the images of Tinubu and Muhammed Buhari.
El-Rufai, a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), however, noted that poor performance would count against him, because, according to him, Nigerians can no longer be deceived.
The APC chieftain spoke, yesterday, as guest of the Kaduna-based Liberty Radio, saying that the campaign by some Ijaw leaders, including chief Edwin Clark and Asari Dokubo, has reduced the nation’s Presidency to ethnicity and religion.
El-Rufai, who spoke on two different interview sessions — Hausa and English — argued that, going by the conduct of state affairs by Jonathan, coming back to the Presidency in 2015 for him would be impossible.
He lamented the condition of the nation’s domestic economy, noting that a situation where 70 percent of national resources are devoted to running government and 30 percent for development purposes is bad for the country.
El-Rufai argued: “Let us apply 70 percent of the nation’s resources to development of the vital sectors, you would see that Nigerians would get up and praise the government themselves. Right now, we are doing the exact opposite.
“We are using more than 70 percent of our resources in running the government. Only about 30 percent is used for electricity, road, education and so on. Our school system has failed; welfare services have also failed. In 2010 alone, Nigerians spent N4 billion for medical treatment abroad. And this is from Central Bank records. This is not right.”
“I believe that if we have leaders that really care about the nation’s progress and be an example to Africa, Nigeria would be a power to reckon with”.
“There are many dangers confronting the Nigerian nation. What is very worrisome is the kind of rhetoric and statements coming from Asari Dokubo and Chief Edwin Clark. In most cases, a week before any of them made statement they must have visited the Villa where they receive briefings.”
Besides, Mallam El-Rufai debunked speculations that he was poised to contest for the governorship position in Kaduna State, saying that, as an APC chieftain, he is preoccupied with the task of positioning the party at the national level.
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