PDP deplores Buhari’s ‘divided’ presidency, wants FEC disbanded

– Govs recognise Lamido as a national leader, democrat

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday declared that “the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Executive Council (FEC) has become cancerous, disorganised, chaotic and incapable of driving an organised, result-oriented system and as such should be disbanded.”

The party said its position was predicated on what it called “degenerated hostilities among officials in the Buhari presidency, including presidential aides, ministers and heads of agencies”, adding that it “has further exposed a scandalous breakdown of the administration’s central command system.”

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party asserted that “this situation is a mark of failure by the Buhari presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to provide organised leadership for our nation.”

The PDP observed that “a situation where officials are constantly at daggers drawn among themselves in unending clashes, backbiting, betrayals, leakage of sensitive documents and internal bickering over pecuniary and political interests, in manners not different from street skirmishes of common cult groups, is unacceptable to our nation.”

According to the main opposition party, “It is indeed shocking that the acrimony had sunk to a situation where the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, reportedly evicted the staff of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) from their allocated office, with guns, while the Chairman of the Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri was on an official assignment with the President.”

It added: “Currently, the newly appointed Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, are said to be at each other’s throat, with the SGF reportedly querying the decision of the President to sack the former Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, Mr. Usman Mohammed. The situation had degenerated into serious confusion in the federal executive.”

The PDP drew attention to the “bitter wrangling, wherein the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), earlier this year, alerted that presidential responsibilities, including presiding over sensitive security matters, have been hijacked by late Chief of Staff, Mallam Abba Kyari, thereby frustrating the fight against insurgency and acts of violence ravaging our country.”

It also lamented: “The power sector is still under the stress of squabbling between the SGF and the Minister of Power, Sale Mamman, with the SGF reinstating some officials who were sacked by the minister in December last year.”

Meanwhile, the PDP Governors’ Forum yesterday affirmed their confidence in the pedigree of Alhaji Sule Lamido as a national leader of the party and face of democracy in Nigeria.

Bauchi State Governor Bala Muhammed, who spoke on behalf of the forum’s chairman and Sokoto chief executive Aminu Tambuwal, said the party cannot afford to lose the wisdom of the ex-Jigawa governor at this point when they were strategising for the 2023 presidential election.