Let’s speak truth to power, Fayemi urges party leaders
Former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has urged the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to always tell the people in power the truth.
He told the party’s leaders to always tell President Bola Ahmed Tinubu the realities on the ground and about the feedback from Nigerians.
Fayemi, who is also the immediate past Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), recommended that the President should not be made to depend solely on information he gets from the Aso Villa.
The former governor spoke at the public launch of a book, titled: APC and Transition Politics, written by a former National Vice Chairman (Northwest) of the party, Malam Salihu Mohammed Lukman, yesterday in Abuja.
Fayemi urged the APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to project the party’s manifesto and relay to the President the true state of affairs and the feedback from various communities.
He said: “I am happy that our chairman is here. This is the party that should not be a spectator in policy making. This party should be the one to project the manifesto of the party. This party should be the one to tell Mr. President that this is the feedback from the communities and constituencies out there, not what he is hearing in the Villa where he is locked up.
“All of us have occupied public offices and we know how it can be. I am happy our chairman has confirmed he has read the book. It should be a compulsory read for all members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and executives at the state and ward levels so that we can begin the rebuilding process of our organic party to which I believe Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is committed.”
In his keynote address, the Leader of Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), Olawale Oshun, frowned at political parties relinquishing political structures to individuals.
He said: “Our democracy should evolve, such that it is the political party, as an institution, that should ever be in a position to determine succession, commencing from the lowest strata of governance to the highest strata.
“Sayings like: ‘I don’t know who will succeed me but I know who will not’ should never again hold sway in our country, for it is as good as knowing who you want to succeed you.
“Why can’t Nigerian rulers or elected leaders play their part, and leave office, believing that the political party that threw them up will also throw up another good material? Why must anyone, no matter how powerful, be the one to determine his successor?”
Ganduje advised that the APC should be well-structured and repositioned to serve the interest of the masses.
He said: “It is important to document issues. APC as a political party is the ruling party. It is an institution which should be well-structured and repositioned whereby it serves a two-way traffic – first as an institution that is in charge of recruitment of appointive and elective officials and as an institution that is concerned about the implementation of the party’s manifesto from the ward level to the national level.
“Secondly, it is an institution that must answer to the demands of the order to be transmitted to the ruling government for implementation. At the same time, it is an institution that will explain and enlighten members of the public about the achievements of the ruling government.”
Many chieftains of the ruling party attended the book launch.
They include APC pioneer national chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, who also chaired the event; another former national chairman, Senator Adams Oshiomhole; ex-Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who was represented by Laolu Akande; the representative of House of Representatives Speaker Tajuddeen Abbas; serving and former members of APC NWC former and serving members of the National Assembly, and many others.
