Some Nigerians spoke to GODWIN IJEDIOGOR on how the crisis in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), occasioned by the leadership tussle in the National Assembly and on non-appointment of ministers by President Muhammadu Buhari is affecting and would continue to affect the desired change promised by the party until resolved. 

‘NASS Crisis Is A Clog’ THE crisis in the National Assembly is undoubtedly a clog in the wheel of the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) change mantra. Much energy is being dissipated on the crisis; energy that could well be channeled to a more productive venture. To that extent, it is not helpful at all. But the party is using its internal conflict resolution mechanism to resolve the crisis.

We believe the crisis is not intractable; hence all hands are on deck to resolve whatever disagreements have led to it. Under the circumstances, the least that is said about the crisis, the better. And of course, it would not help to discuss the strategies for resolving the crisis on the pages of newspaper. Concerning the non-appointment of ministers, much has been made of this, but that is because people haven’t taken the pains to really analyse and understand the situation on ground.

For example, the Transition Committee has recommended, among others, the reduction in the number of ministries through mergers. The report, which has far-reaching recommendations that will shape the form that the government will take, will have to be studied thoroughly. It follows, therefore, that the reduction will have to be carried out first before the President can then appoint his ministers.

The consideration of the report has been hampered by the delay in the transmission of handover notes by the Goodluck Jonathan administration. The Transition Committee, which was inaugurated on April 29, was supposed to submit its report in two weeks, that is around May 13 or 14, long before the May 29 presidential inauguration.

However, due to the non-cooperation by the last administration, which gave us the handover notes four days before the inauguration, it could not be done until much after the inauguration, specifically on June 12. Also, what the Buhari administration has met on ground is beyond its imagination, in terms of the rot in the system.

And the process of taking stock is still continuing. It is, therefore, imperative for the President to fully understand the full extent of the situation before appointing his ministers, so that he can give them the appropriate marching orders. – Lai Mohammed, All Progressives Congress (APC) National Publicity Secretary

‘Buhari Nostalgia Will Go Away’
DEMOCRACY and nation building often tango or collide in a rough and tumble dance and breed sour spots and unpleasant consequences that constitute threat to each other. In all the cases where there is some macabre dance in the polity, it is the nation and the people that get hurt.

Therefore, we must be careful not to sow seeds of discord, as they may never completely go away. In 2011, some politicians thought they were being smart and worked to impose the then speaker and now APC governor of Sokoto State (Aminu Tambuwal) on the PDP-controlled house.

The intention was to undermine (then President Goodluck) Jonathan’s government. They have succeeded, but the effect on our polity will linger. The National Assembly must undergo a metamorphic process. People should not try to control it from the outside.

If anyone feels they are so powerful and they can do legislation well, then they should contest and use their power position to win and become one, than try to remote control legislators from any other power point. I believe that eventually, all the legislative houses will become seniority led by the time the metamorphosis has gone full cycle. Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara are brilliant and they have come up in seniority too.

I do not see the trouble, except if there are some other sinister agenda from either the legislators, party leaders or the executive arm that we are not yet aware of. My concern is that elected politicians from the President and their appointees and legislators seem irrelevant, as the nation appears to be moving on without their input in this case.

As a matter of fact, someone made a joke that it is the civil servants that run the country and that the politicians only come to spend the money and corrupt the system. I am not too sure if this is just a joke. For me, it is a disorienting dilemma needing investigation.

I have heard too many campaign slogans that I was not carried away by the change mantra of this administration. To them, it is mere slogan to capture political power. Now politics is over, they have become unable to transcend that threshold to do the real job.

The new administration has lost steam; no sense of urgency, no guiding coalition (no ministers), no strategic vision and initiatives. Worst still, the government is losing the moral high ground, as Buhari and his deputy have failed to do the public declaration of assets that could have been a major strategic statement for their work. As a change student, I am at a loss.

However, the optimist in me still expects that the nostalgia will go away and some goodness will follow. So, we must exercise some patience. – Ralphs Okey Nwosu, National Chairman of Africa Democratic Congress (ADC)

‘APC Should Quickly Close Ranks Behind The Elected Officials’
I DON’T believe there is a crisis in the National Assembly between the presiding officers and the leadership of the APC.  What exists there is merely evidence of the limits of power.

While we recognise that the party leadership was instrumental in helping the elected officials to win their elections, there should be a limit to which the party can dictate to the individual elected officials.  When it comes to matters of exercising the functions of their office, the elected officials must utilise their own discretion and good judgment. That is what the Nigerian electorate voted for- individuals with minds of their own. Nigerians did not vote for puppets. We need men and women of courage, who will act to create a better Nigerian society.

Party leaders exercise influence and control when it comes to party affairs. However, party leaders are not elected officials. I believe the party should quickly close ranks behind these elected officials and let them get on with the business of governance.

Truth is: Nigeria is too big to fit into any one man’s pocket.  There are several competing sphere of influence and power.  That is what is happening in the NASS.  It is called realpolitik. I don’t believe there is undue delay in the appointment of ministers. Our political governance machinery has some peculiarities.

First, the National Assembly had to be constituted before the President could submit ministerial nominees.  Since the President assumed office in the middle of a war, he had to first attend to the war effort in order to keep Nigerians safe.  With the incessant almost daily bombings and massacres by Boko Haram both within and outside Nigeria, tackling the rabid terrorism, which is destroying northern Nigeria, appears to be the most important task for the President.

What I mean is that the President is engrossed in the war effort and with his efforts at shuttle diplomacy to attract help for our country. He is taking care of the business that Nigerians elected him to do.   The second reason for the apparent delay is that the APC is a melting pot party with so many component parts. The President has to hold this coalition together if he must govern effectively.

He must consult widely before choosing ministers.  So, I think once those consultations are completed, the ministerial list will be announced, and then NASS must confirm these men and women before they can finally get to work. This will take a bit of time.

However, I must add that I am a bit disappointed that the President and his team didn’t anticipate these systemic delays when they were making promises.  Time is a wasting asset and our government should realise that Nigerians are impatient people. They expect action at the earliest possible time. They didn’t vote out Jonathan in exchange for lame excuses on why the government has not taken shape yet.

The President should announce the list of his special advisers, so that those guys can commence work, while we await the inevitable rigmarole in the nomination and confirmation of ministers.  The President must be made aware that one man cannot run a modern democratic state like Nigeria. The President needs help. According to the French, the more things change, the more they remain the same. – Ona Ekhomu, security expert

‘APC Leadership Should Quickly Resolve The Crisis’
THE APC is the ruling party. It is the party that has formed the government. It also won the majority in the parliament, as well as in most of the states in Nigeria.

It, therefore, implies that it has the responsibility to provide ideological oxygen to the policy formulation and implementation process of this government.

As a result of the issues and controversies facing the party, it has become obviously difficult for it to play its role at the stage of the government, making it impossible for the government to hit to take off. The need to resolve these issues and move forward cannot be overstated.

Since the issues are political, I think the party’s echelon should quickly work out a mechanism by which they would be resolved. The burden is clearly on the leadership of the party, including the President. If they fail to do so quickly, Nigerians will start to complain. Joseph Nwobike (SAN)