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updated 10:20 AM UTC, Dec 13, 2023

Nigeria’s APC To Critically Look At Calls For Restructuring

VON: Nigeria’s governing party, the All Progressives Congress APC says it is taking a critical look at the various calls for restructuring the country, with a view to taking the right step that will sustain the country’s unity and bring about meaningful development.

Kaduna State Governor, Mr Nasiru El-Rufai revealed this to State House Correspondents, after paying a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“I am Chairing the APC committee on true federalism, we met yesterday; we are going to start public hearings round the country from September 18. After we published calls for memoranda, we have already started receiving a lot of memos, particularly form young people that have never been part of the restructuring conversation. By the time we hold the public hearings and compile the views of Nigerians, we will make recommendations to our party concerning how to operationalize true federalism,” he said.

The Governor said the views of the youth would be highly considered in taking a decision on the matter.

“We will consider what the young people, whose country we are supposed to be restructuring for want. We are encouraging the young people, through social media, through blogs, tweeter, facebook and so on, to tell us what they think because this country is theirs,” the Governor said.

2019 Election

El-Rufai said a group to which he belongs is working hard to see that President Buhari contests for a second term in office. The Governor added that he is not pursuing any presidential ambition.

He said: “My name has been linked to the Presidency for years now but I don’t have any personal ambition to run. We have a group of Buharists among Governors and Ministers, that wants to ensure that President Buhari runs in 2019 because he is doing so well and he is recovering so fast and if he chooses not to run, he will tell us which direction to go and we will go; we are Buharirts,” he emphasised.

Alhassan’s Loyalty

Commenting on the recent remarks made by the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Aisha Alhassan, where she pledged loyalty to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, El-Rufai said she has never belonged to the Buhari camp.

“In the APC, she was never in the Buhari camp. She never supported any of our candidates during the National Convention of the party, she didn’t vote for Buhari during the primaries but out of the largeness of the heart of the President’s heart and in order to encourage women in politics, he felt that even though she was never a supporter of his politics or ideology, he felt that giving what she tried to do in Taraba State and to encourage women in politics, he nominated her as Minister and he did, even though it didn’t go down well with those in his camp, he overruled that because that is how he is. He sees himself as a father to every son and daughter of the country,” he said.

El-Rufai said it was President Buhari’s prerogative to either sack or retain Aisha Alhassan as Minister, stressing that the important thing was for her to implement the policies of government as directed by the President, in the interest of the nation.

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