Rasaq AbdulKareem/
After a political race that appears to have led nowhere, leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the party’s Senate Caucus spoke of a new awakening today at the inaugural meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja.
Led by the party’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, the NWC resolved to present to the Nigerian public, a government, a party and a National Assembly that are working all in the same direction.
According to a statement issued by the Senate President’s spokesman, Yusuf Olaniyonu, Odigie-Oyegun said at the meeting: “The economy is tough; as a result, people are going through hard times. And it is certainly not acceptable that the public looking up at us will not see that we are all concentrated, determined, focused on programmes, issues that will ameliorate not just the economy but the conditions of living for the ordinary Nigerian.”
He observed that the party is at a critical juncture in its existence and “we have the opportunity to take a strong look at the party, an opportunity to take a strong look at our control of the Senate and our leadership of the Senate, the opportunity to draw up a new basis of cooperation between the Party, its members in the Senate and of course the executive because we all belong to one Party”.
He added: “Unfortunately, it is clear, it is public knowledge now that our very first steps when we came in to office created problems and the very nature itself of the amalgamating parties, created its own issues all of which has tended up till now to affect the mode of operations and the level of interactions between the various arms of government and the Party. So we have a unique, God-given opportunity to take a look at ourselves, take a look at the National Assembly, take a look at the Party and take a look at the way we all interact between us and the government. It is my hope that we will at the end of it all be able to present to the Nigerian public, a government, a party and a National Assembly that are working all in the same direction.
“We want to assure the general public that they will see results that will lift their spirits in the next few weeks and months to follow. It means that an end is in sight. We have started the process, but there are issues to be resolved and there is no question at all that we are a family and when things have gone wrong, we accept that things have gone wrong and we are determined to right those wrongs.”
Olaniyonu quoted Saraki’s words after the meeting. He said: “First of all, formally we both bared our minds. We told ourselves hard truths but at the end of the day we accepted that certain things were not done but we accepted to move forward, work closely with the Party for the interest of building the Party. Because of Nigerians that believe in our Party, we need to work closely together and we are hopeful that a new chapter is being opened today, and we are committed to the hopes and aspirations we gave Nigerians who came out to vote a year and half ago.”
NWC members at the Party’s National Secretariat in Abuja for the meeting were the Deputy National Chairman (North), Sen. Lawal Shuaibu; Deputy National Chairman (South), Engr. Segun Oni; National Secretary, Hon. Mai Mala Buni; National Vice Chairman (South-West), Chief Pius Oluwole Akinyelure; National Vice Chairman (North-West), Inuwa Abdul-Kadir; National Vice Chairman (North-Central), Hon. Zakari Idde; National Vice Chairman (South-East), Hon. Emma Eneukwu; National Treasurer, Alhaji Bala Mohammed Gwagwarwa; Sen. Osita Izunaso, National Organising Secretary; Chief (Dr.) George Moghalu, National Auditor; National Women Leader, Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu and Hon. Dasuki Ibrahim Jalo, National Youth Leader.
The Senate APC Caucus leadership was led to the meeting by the Senate President.
Other attendees were the Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Ali-Ndume; the Deputy Majority Leader, Sen. Bala Ibn Na’Allah, the Senate Chief Whip, Sen. Olusola Adeyeye.