Yoruba Group Condemns APC’s Directive To It’s National Assembly Members To Block Executive Bills
A Yoruba Socio-political group, the Ominira Yoruba Apapo (OYA), has condemned the threat by the leadership of the All Progressive Congress ,APC , to use its members in the National Assembly to block further executive proposals including the 2014 Appropriation bill which is pending before the National Assembly for consideration.
The APC at the end of its National Executive Committee meeting on Thursday directed its members in the National Assembly to block any passage of the bills from the Executive including the 2014 Budget until the crisis in the Rivers State is resolved. The Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi , a member of APC has been having a running battle with Mr. Joseph Mbu, the Police Commissioner in the State.
The situation has degenerated to people being shot at during rallies and people perceived to be in support of the Governor have been reportedly victimized. The Commissioner of Police has been accused by the Governor of waging a war against his administration; an allegation firmly denied by Mbu.
In a statement signed by the Director of Publicity, Morgan Omodu, and made available to NigerianEcho, the group said it considered the directive of APC to its members in the National Assembly unpatriotic.
“We consider the above assertions by the APC as not only unpatriotic but also a clear-cut indicator which further confirms the party as a group of insidious & Desperate Politicians.
” Whereas we see the latest dimension being taken by the APC in his war against the present administration of President Goodluck Jonathan as a Declaration of War on the good people of Nigeria who stands to be most affected if at all the threat by the APC to block the passage of the 2014 Budget is made real.
” As an organisation, we strongly believe that a truly progressive party will always consider the overriding interest of the citizens before arriving at its decisions. In the case of the APC, the party has become more desperate in its inordinate quest to control the resources of this nation without the requisite patience to secure such authority at the polls, and knowing their antecedents they should be stopped now”, the statement said.
On the threat that the party would scuttle the ratification of the new Service Chiefs list before the National Assembly which was submitted few days ago by President Goodluck Jonathan, the group said it’s purely an invitation to anarchy.
” Further more, we consider the call on the National Assembly to abort the ratification of the appointment of the new Military Service Chief as not only an invitation to Anarchy but also a ploy by the APC to unleash terror on Nigerians in an eventually case of no leadership for the Nigeria Armed forces. This may further confirm the recent revelation on the involvement of the APC in the latest bomb attacks in Maiduguri, Borno State where a BOT member and the Governor of the State both of APC have come out to openly accuse each other of being responsible for the spate of bombings recently witnessed in the state. We will like to state fundamentally that the National Assembly is a sacred institution owned and funded by the Nigerian people and is not in anyway an arm of the machinery of any political party that could be used to perpetuate selfish political interests at the detriment of the Nigerian tax payers. All efforts to use the seventh assembly to achieve this must be stopped.
” The APC have further shown Nigerians that it does not possess the established structure capable of sustaining, enhancing & nurturing the democratic culture evolving in Nigeria that will be acceptable to all.
” May we hereby restate the strong disapproval of the Yoruba Nation for the ego driven agenda of truncating our nascent democracy as we also want to sound a note of warning to the APC desperate politicians & their collaborators to henceforth desist from this evil plot. Yoruba’s as usual shall lead other nationalities to resist vehemently any attempt to stampede the passage of the 2014 Budget, with the confirmation of service chiefs and in extension the Ministerial Nominee by the APC leadership for their self serving political motives.
“We by this medium call on members of the National Assembly and all lovers of democracy to continue to disregard the ego call by the APC and also join in condemning the attempt to create anarchy aimed at truncating our Democracy. We as an organization and as a race will not fold our arms and allow these characters to truncate our Democracy for political ends, knowing fully well that they are usually the first to seek asylum in foreign lands if the state become ungovernable.
” Finally, we want the APC to know that Nigeria is bigger than any Political party or the ambition of anyone seeking to be whatever as the nation approaches another season of elections. This is also to inform the International observers to take close look and monitor these persons in case there are break down of law and order in Nigeria by denying them and their family opportunity of fleeing to foreign nations”, the statement concluded.