The National Vice Chairman, North West, of the All Progressives Congress, Mallam Salisu Moh Lukman, has said that the party was working very hard to ensure that the administration of its presidential candidate for the 2023 polls, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, if elected, would witness a remarkable improvement on that of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The APC top shot spoke against the backdrop of the hardship being suffered by Nigerians over the Naira swap policy.
The Eagle Online is reporting that Nigerians have been going through hard times over cash to use for day to day living following the scarcity of Naira occasioned by the redesign of the N200, N500 and N1,000 notes by the Central Bank of Nigeria with an initial deadline of January 31, 2023.
The deadline was moved to February 10 after a meeting between the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and President Muhammadu Buhari.
Reacting to the hardship brought about by the currency swap and scarcity of petrol, Lukman in an article published elsewhere in this website, said Buhari needed to demonstrate capacity to listen to Nigerians in this time of hardship.
He said it was also disappointing that despite the precarious situation in the country, no political party has called a meeting of its National Executive Committee to deliberate on it.
He wrote: “In all of these, it needs to be clearly stated that throughout the tenure of President Buhari, nothing tests his credential as a converted democrat more than the need to demonstrate more listening ears and compassion at the plight of Nigerians.
“As a converted democrat, which I believe he is, President Buhari needs to demonstrate that by respecting the Supreme Court judgement and direct the CBN to end the current madness that imposes Naira scarcity in the country and untold hardship for millions of Nigerians.
“For both APC, as a party, and Nigeria, as a nation, one of the lessons that the current reality imposes is the need to develop our political parties and make them capable of regulating the conduct of elected functionaries.
“This is not only the case with APC, but also the case with all our parties.
“Why should we have a challenge with grave consequences on the electoral fortunes of political parties, yet none of the parties contesting the 2023 elections has convened any emergency meeting of their National Executive Committee?
“Yet, we want elections to produce accountable leaders. Once party organs have ceased to be decision making platforms, the domineering control of government institutions by so-called cabals will remain strong.
“Moving Nigerian democracy forward requires all of us as Nigerians to be much more honest beyond some partisan permutations about winning elections.
“As members of APC, we are working hard to win the 2023 elections, but we also will work even more harder to ensure that our next government to be led by Asiwaju Tinubu will come with more listening ears to Nigerians and fellow party leaders.
“God willing Asiwaju Tinubu’s APC government must be a remarkable improvement on President Buhari’s government whereby party leaders will through all our organs as provided in our constitution effectively and efficiently take all necessary decisions, which would be respected by Asiwaju Tinubu as President of the Federal Republic, God willing, and all elected representatives.”
