RESTRUCTURING: What Else Will APC And El-Rufai’s New Team Tell Nigerians?

As calls for restructuring grow louder and more intense amidst stringent criticism of the APC-led administration over its continued noncommittal and sometimes dismissive posture on the issue, the party on Wednesday set up a nine-man committee to clarify what it claimed was its own mischaracterized version of restructuring. It said that, “the resolve to clear the air on the party’s position on the matter became pertinent in view of the fact that the term was being misunderstood by the citizenry”.

Spokesperson of the party, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, who disclosed this Thursday at the end of the fifth regular joint APC National Working Committee (NWC) meeting held at the party’s secretariat in Abuja, said Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai is to lead the committee which includes Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, and Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, as members.

Other members include former Governor of Edo State, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor, APC National Organising Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso, APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, and Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi who will serve as Secretary.

This development follows highly controversial statements made by Odigie Oyegun, chairman of the party, Nasir Elrufai, Governor of Kaduna State and newly minted chairman of the committee, as well as other prominent party leaders.

The more you hear, the less you understand

Oyegun had in two separate interviews engaged in a befuddling game of semantics, deflection and prevarication over the question of restructuring. He stated thus in the first case, “What is more important? To fix the economy or embark on political issues and the different interpretations that the public give to it? We are committed to the economy and it says it all in the manifesto”.

Commenting on the widespread critical reaction to his earlier interview comments, he stated that “I do not know what some people want to make out of my statement. Must I be forced to use the word they want me to use, which I do not want to use? I stand by what I said; the APC promised true federalism and I know what true federalism is. “I did not want to use the word restructuring, which conveys different meanings to many Nigerians. Some will tell you that they want the country to be restructured into 10 federating units; some will say into six federating units; everything is confusing.

“I do not even know what they mean by restructuring. Go and read our party manifesto and see what we said there, we did not promise restructuring. We did not address true federalism all this time because of the collapse of the economy, but we will soon get there.”

In similar vein, Elrufai claimed in an interview that, “For many people, when you talk about restructuring, it is political opportunism. Most of what you see in the media, most of the people that talk about restructuring or give long lectures about restructuring are unable to give you any concrete ideas about what it really means.

“As I said, a lot of the talk on restructuring is political opportunism and irresponsibility in my opinion. It is popular and people that have presidential aspiration think it is a platform on which they can exploit this.

Other party leaders have also had their choice words to say on the matter. On his part, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said restructuring was not a priority of the Buhari administration.

The Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, adding his voice to the line of argument that restructuring lacked a clear definition, stated that “Every geo-political zone has its own interpretation of restructuring”, concluding that what Nigeria needed was repackaging and not necessarily restructuring.

The Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, was more direct and harsh in his approach. He dismissed those calling for restructuring as enemies of the country, while calling on Nigerians to disregard them and their calls which he termed political deceit.

Six is not half a dozen!

But by questioning the definition of restructuring and dismissing its advocates, APC is merely playing a game of fast and loose and being clever by half. The party’s manifesto indeed makes ample provision for restructuring. In its preamble, it states that, “To achieve this laudable programme, APC government shall restructure the country, devolve power to the units, with the best practices of federalism and eliminate unintended paralysis of the center.”