A prominent leader in the South-South geopolitical zone, Chief Edwin Clark, has condemned President Muhammadu Buhari for not showing genuine interest in restructuring Nigeria, POLITICS NIGERIA reports.
Clark contended that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) manifesto sold the issue of restructuring of Nigeria to the Nigerian public before the came to power.
The elder statesman was reacting to President Buhari’s Channels Television interview of last week.
In a recent statement, Clark said that there was the need for survival and unity of Nigeria.
Clark’s statement reads in part: “Restructuring of Nigeria is a must if Nigeria is to survive as a country. It is very cruel and disappointing to hear Mr President say that “he does not know what type of restructuring Nigerians want”. This is very insincere and dishonest because President Muhammadu Buhari has been preaching restructuring since his 2011 campaign, when he contested with our respected Pastor Tunde Bakare, as his running mate, and when our late golden boy, Comrade Yinka Odumakin was his spokesman, and who preached restructuring until his death, and for which he became one of the greatest critics of President Muhammadu Buhari due to his (Buhari’s) failure to accept the restructuring of Nigeria.
“Comrade Yinka Odumakin, was until his death, the coordinator of the Southern Nigeria and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF), of which I am the Leader. Restructuring of Nigeria was one of the major subjects of Mr. president’s party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Memorandum in 2015. But he dodged the subject when he was asked by the brilliant and intelligent personnel of Channels Television the question of restructuring by saying that it was a combination of political parties including CPC, ANPP, APGA and CAN, that made him win the election.
“Is Mr President saying that the APC manifesto did not sell to the public the issue of restructuring of Nigeria? I repeat again that when the drums of restructuring were booming in every part of this country and wise men were dancing to the tune, APC was forced to set up the Mallam Nasir El-Rufai Committee, to produce a report on restructuring. The committee was made up of 27 members including serving and former Governors, Senators, serving and former Ministers, etc.
“In its recommendation on devolution of power on pages 14 & 15 the El-Rufai’s Report recommended A BILL FOR AN ACT TO ALTER THE PROVISION OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, 1999, TO PROVIDE FOR THE DEVOLUTION OF POWERS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO THE STATE AND TRANSFER OF ITEMS FROM THE EXCLUSIVE LEGISLATIVE LIST TO THE CONCURRENT LEGISLATIVE LIST AND FOR RELATED MATTERS. Enacted by the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as follows:
The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 is altered as set out in this Bill.
The Second Schedule Part 1 of the Constitution is altered by transferring the under-listed items contained therein to the Second Schedule Part II –
Item No. 2 – Arms and ammunition for the purpose of policing only Item No. 45- Police.
“I have deliberately reproduced from El-Rufai’s report to expose the insincerity in Mr President’s saying ‘that he does not know what kind of restructuring Nigerians want'”.
