APC restructuring C’ttee lists 12 issues to discuss, begins public hearing Monday

The All Progressives Congress (APC) restructuring committee led by Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai has listed about 12 issues it will table for discussion as it begins a public hearing on the matter on Monday.

This was disclosed at a news conference in Abuja by the secretary of the committee, Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi.

He added that the committee will also consult the report of the 2005 Political Reforms Conference, the 2014 National Conference and reports of previous national
conferences in its assignment to determine the APC’s stand on the vexed issue of restructuring the country.

The public hearing he said will begin Monday in Benin, Edo State; Enugu in Enugu State; and Ibadan, Oyo State and will end with a meeting with civil society organisations and professional groups in
Abuja on October 9.

“Accordingly, and pursuant to its mandate, the Committee met, deliberated and listed out the following issues and called for memoranda from members of the public”, he said.

The 12 issues for deliberation according to Adetunmbi are “Creation/merger of states and the framework and guidelines for achieving that; derivation principle bordering on what percentage of federal collectible revenue should be given back; devolution of powers on what item on the exclusive legislative list should be transferred to the recurrent list and federating units, especially state and
community police, prisons; Federation Units, should Nigeria be based on regions or zones or 36-state structure.”

Others are fiscal federalism and revenue allocation; form of government (parliamentary or presidential);
Independent candidacy; land tenure system; local government autonomy; power sharing and rotation; resource control; and type of legislature.

“We are expecting inputs from the public on whether or not should Nigeria create more states; should states be merged? If so, what
should be the framework and guidelines? What percentage of Federal collectable resources should be given back to their sources, e.g. crude oil, solid minerals, Value Added Tax?” he said.

Adetunmbi further explained that contributions would be thrown open to
both members and non members of APC.
“We must recognise that the work of nation building is an ongoing process in which every stakeholder has a role to play, by making his own contribution. In this case, the APC as a national political party
is an institution and a stakeholder that has a role to play in making its own contribution. This exercise is its own way of making that contribution.

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“The APC felt that it is not necessary to think alone among ourselves, but to also ask members of the public what they think. That is why everything this committee is doing is not about its own opinion, but
harvesting the opinion of the ordinary people in order to form an opinion. After all, no political party exists just by itself, but by the mandate of people.

“In this regard, we have put up an announcement calling on members of
the public to submit memorandum and meet us at designated venues without any discrimination.

“So, it is an open invitation to all Nigerians to attend and make their views and voices to count,” he said.
Calls for the restructuring of Nigeria have continued to mount especially from the southern regions of the country who are now demanding that the country revert to the 1963 Republic Constitution.

 

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