Pix above(L-R): Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar
…Say: “Such Greek gift will not change the fact that Tinubu’s presidency is an illegitimate government”
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The Labour Party and its standard bearer in the February 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi, have kicked against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s offer of board appointments to opposition parties through their governors, saying such Greek gift will not change the fact that Tinubu’s presidency is an illegitimate government.
This is even as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its standard bearer, Atiku Abubakar, simply said Tinubu’s proposal merits no response in the first place.
Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, had disclosed at a meeting of the forum in Abuja on Tuesday night that the President had asked the Governors to nominate competent persons to serve in the boards and parastatals of Federal Government agencies.
The proposal was coming on the heels of President Tinubu announcing the dissolution of the Governing Boards of over 153 agencies, parastatals, institutions and government-owned companies, last month.
The dissolved boards were among the 209 constituted by former President Muhammadu Buhari in December 2017, it was reported.
Governor Abdulrazaq, in a communiqué issued at the end of the NGF meeting on Wednesday, said the members of the forum resolved to thank the President for extending an opportunity to the Governors to nominate Board members across the party lines.
The communique reads inter alia: “Members (of NGF) resolved to commend the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President, Bola Tinubu, for showing leadership by extending the opportunity to governors across party lines, by asking them to nominate competent people from their fold for appointment into boards of parastatals.”
But reacting to the proposal, the Chief Spokesman for Obi-Datti Campaign Council, Yunusa Tanko, stated such a subtle move to accommodate every party in administration “will not change the fact that Tinubu’s presidency is an illegitimate government”.
Tanko said: “APC is doing everything in their crooked book to ensure they legitimize this government, which we have resisted vehemently. We will only do what is rightfully ours when the court makes its decision and pronouncement.
‘’But as far as we are concerned, every attempt we see them do is a means to cajole people to believe and legitimize their government. That is the truth about it.’’
He wondered why the APC would want to appease the sole LP Governor with board offers when the party has hundreds of supporters in Abia State that could be given board appointments.
“Sending letters to state governors is part of the process of legitimizing their governance, which we are resisting. At the moment, LP has only one governor. The belief is that the governor may likely dance to their tune.
“But the truth about it is that will the APC tell you they don’t have party people in Abia State that they can nominate? Why must they go through the governor to do so? What they are aiming to do is to indirectly co-opt him into their party. That’s the truth.”
Speaking in the same vein, Obi’s media aide, Tai Obasi, said as much as what the President is attempting to do appears positive, it is not enough to legitimize his government.
“It is obviously a gimmick. Of course, you know the man (Tinubu) and the problem he is facing in court. It is easy for one to see what he is trying to do even though it looks positive though.
“But again, the oppositions are not fools. As we are concerned, we still see his government as an interim one,” he concluded.
On its part, the Peoples Democratic Party said it cannot comment until its Governors take a position on the offer.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, said, “I am not even aware that the President has asked the Governors to make their nominations to the boards of parastatals.
“I have not spoken with the PDP governors and until I do so, it would not be appropriate to make a comment on this on behalf of the party.”
On his part, the PDP presidential candidate in the last election, Atiku Abubakar said a reaction is unnecessary.
Speaking through his media aide, Mr. Paul Ibe, the former Vice President said: “It is not within our purview to react to issues like this. So, no comment”(agency)/SHARE THIS
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