Jonathan Trying to Scuttle Transition – APC
Jonathan Trying to Scuttle Transition – APC
The All Progressives Congress, APC has raised
alarm over President Jonathan Administration and
the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP’s plan to delay
the May 29 handover.
The APC said it is becoming apparent that
Jonathan’s-led administration will not fully
cooperate with the incoming government, despite its
public posturing in that regard.
According to a statement by its National Publicity
Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in Abuja, the party
described PDP’s move as an act of hostility and a
patently-misplaced aggression the unnecessary
vituperation against the incoming Buhari
Administration by the Jonathan government,
ostensibly because of the terms of reference of the
Buhari Transition Committee but in reality part of an
orchestrated plot to sabotage the transition.
In the statement, the APC rejected the continued
blackmail by the Jonathan Administration as a result
of President Jonathan’s concession of defeat,
wondering whether the concession, gracious as it
was, has now become a shield for all wrong doings.
It stated, “We are sick and tired of being
blackmailed by the ‘Jonathanians’. Gen. Buhari won
the 28 March Presidential Elections fair and square,
having satisfied both constitutional and other
statutory requirements.
“We have no apology for our victory, and the
concession of defeat, while it may have increased
the political stock of President Jonathan, has by no
means diminished the historic and emphatic victory
of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and the All
Progressives Congress.”
Lai Mohammed, while justifying claims that PDP is
planning to hinder May 29 handover, said while the
outgoing government had earlier issued a memo to
all ministries, departments and agencies to make
sure their handover notes are ready by April 20th,
the same government has now reversed itself and
said the handover notes will not be ready until May
14th.
“With the new date, the Buhari Transition Committee
will have little or no time to take a thorough look at
the handover notes or seek clarification on knotty
issues, effectively handing it (Buhari Transition
Committee) a fait accompli as far as the handover
notes are concerned. This does not augur well for a
smooth transition and gives the impression that the
outgoing Administration is trying to hide something.
“By its dillydallying on the date for the readiness of
the handover notes from the MDAs, the
administration’s posturing that it is ready to hand
over has been exposed as nothing but a
smokescreen,” it said.
Further in the statement, APC described as illogical
and strange the claim by the Jonathan
Administration that the President-elect is trying to
set up a parallel government simply because he has
set up his own Transition Committee and given it
terms of reference meant to guide the members on
the discharge of their duties as members of that
Committee, wondering how
on earth those terms of reference have become the
concern of the outgoing Federal Executive Council.
It maintained, “In case the Federal Executive
Council has forgotten, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari of
the All Progressives Congress was declared the
winner of the March 28th Presidential Election by
INEC.
“Gen. Muhammadu Buhari is therefore today the
President-elect and the All Progressives Congress
the incoming government. It is therefore illogical to
accuse the President-elect and the incoming
government of setting up a parallel government.
“It is either the outgoing Federal Executive Council
has something to hide or is bent on sabotaging the
incoming government. There can be no other
reasons for the misplaced aggression that was
exhibited in that ill-intentioned, unprovoked and
vitriolic statement from the Jonathan government,”
the party said.
In this wise, it said in order to put the matter
beyond doubt, the party has decided to publish in
full the terms of reference in question so that
Nigerians can judge for themselves whether there
is anything suggestive of intimidation or running a
parallel government in the document.
Thus, APC warned the ‘Jonathanians’ not to
overstretch the goodwill which the President has
earned by his gracious concession even before
INEC officially declared Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as
the winner of the March 28th Presidential election,
saying while it was momentous, it was not
unprecedented in Africa, where power has changed
hands peacefully between the ruling and opposition
parties in several nations.
“Are they now saying that because the President
conceded defeat, the incoming administration can
no longer ask legitimate questions or seek
clarifications that may arise from the handover
notes.
“We will not surrender to any blackmail, subtle or
otherwise. We shall ask questions and ask for
explanations and clarifications whenever and
wherever we deem such necessary. We cannot run
a transparently honest government or fight
corruption if we are prevented from asking
legitimate questions and seeking clarifications from
the outgoing government during the transition
process. Let the Jonathan Administration not tie our
hands behind our back just because he conceded
defeat after losing an election,” the party said.
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