Former Vice President and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has described as shocking and saddening the decision of the APC-led Senate to block the passage of Bill No. 3 of the review of the 1999 Constitution, which would have granted devolution of power to the states.
In a statement released by his media office in Abuja, the Waziri of Adamawa decried the lost opportunity to honour one of the party’s election promises to bring about change by shifting power closer to the people in the remotest regions of Nigeria.
According to him, instead of building the foundations for a true federation, a small group of so-called progressive senators decided to stick with the new party line, pretending they didn’t know what restructuring was all about and that even if they knew, it couldn’t be done.
“I think this is disingenuous,” he said. “And I think it is a sad day for our Party. But I’m confident the APC will learn the right lesson from this self-inflicted defeat, and remember the mission and mandate given to us by the people.”