The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has explained the real reason President Muhammadu Buhari removed the 26 heads of Federal Government’s agencies and parastatals on Monday, saying they have been compromised.
Odigie-Oyegun, who spoke to State House correspondents on Tuesday, after President Buhari met the NationalWorking Committee NWC) of the party at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the party was not particularly interested in filling the positions but was concerned with the “internal sabotage” that is pervasive in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-filled positions.
The APC chair, who stated that the party has no apology for the gale of sack, explained that the action displayed by those affected is critical to the national growth and development.
“APC members were not concerned about the positions. We are concerned about the internal sabotage that is going on in a lot of the PDP-filled positions which are critical to our national growth and development.
“It is happening in INEC, it is happening in a lot of other institutions and that is what the concern of the party is, not necessarily taking over, we should take over and they should be people who believe in the change agenda. We have no apologies for that at all, that is it,” he said.
Asked how soon the positions could be filled up, Odigie-Oyegun said “that is Mr. President’s discretion.”
Speaking on the controversy trailing the 2016 Budget, the APC national chairman said it was necessary to make adjustments to reflect modern realities.
“There is absolutely no confusion. This is a serious issue. I want you to please understand the complications that come from adjusting a structure from over 40 ministries to just over 20 ministriesand the necessary adjustments of figures and movements of institutions that entails, it was very complicated, so it is natural that adjustments have to be made to the process and that is just what is happening,” he said.
On the mission of the NWC to the Presidential Villa, he said they needed to applaud the president on some issues which he refused to mention.
“We just came to pay our respect to our President, and praised him on things that are going on. We raised our concerns on one or two issues and altogether, we had a very pleasant and rewarding meeting. No, they were just internal party matters. I’m sure you are familiar with the political terrain and nothing different,” he said.
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