By Bode Olagoke Abuja Th e All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s defi nition and understanding of the restructuring of Nigeria as “shallow and far from what Nigerians are asking for.” Th e two main parties, had, since last week, engaged in a verbal war over the need to restructure the nation, an issue that dominates political discourse among Nigerians.
Th e APC had fi red the fi rst salvo when it criticised the opposition party as a latterday convert on the issue, with the criticism drawing a sharp response on Sunday from the PDP spokesperson, Dayo Adeyeye, who insisted that his party had always supported and planned for restructuring.
In its latest statement yesterday through its spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, the APC insisted that the opposition party was merely being opportunistic and attracted to the subject because it has become the “new political currency in Nigeria.” He said the APC, not only had provisions for the issue in the manifesto it presented ahead of the last general election, it had also “dusted up” the report of the 2014 National Constitutional Conference in its current eff ort to formulate a framework for implementation of the subject.
“Th e PDP’s defi nition and understanding of restructuring, from what they said in their statement, is shallow and that they do not know the kind of restructuring Nigerians are asking for. “Th is should ordinarily be a welcome development, given that it provides opportunity for bi-partisan cooperation on this very important national issue. “However, of concern to us is PDP’s rather shallow interpretation of restructuring as desired by Nigerians. In his release, Adeyeye quoted several aspects of his party’s constitution which he claimed serve as evidence that PDP believes in restructuring.
“A cursory review of the referenced parts of the constitution would, however, suggest either the PDP is deliberately out to mislead or it just does not have an appropriate understanding of the restructuring that Nigerians clamour for. “For instance, Preamble 2(b) of the PDP constitution quoted by Adeyeye states: ‘To work together under the umbrella of the party for the speedy restoration of democracy, the achievement of national reconciliation, economic and social reconstruction and respect for human rights and the rule of law’.
“If statements such as the above are what the PDP intends to pass off as restructuring, this should further confi rm that the party is still not in tune with the aspirations and dreams of the Nigerian people. “It is indeed amusing that after being in power for 16 years, PDP is just waking up to realise that its constitution prescribed restructuring. If this is not political opportunism, we wonder what is. “We understand that PDP needs desperately to return to reckoning; and realising that restructuring is the new political currency in Nigeria, it is now latching on and even claiming to be an apostle! “As the ruling party between 1999 and 2015, PDP organised two national conferences, in 2005 and in 2014. Th ey had nine years between the fi rst conference and the second one and one full year between the time the report of the 2014 conference was submitted and the time it lost power in 2015”.
