By Omeiza Ajayi ABUJA –
Nigeria’s Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, Wednesday finally met with the National Working Committee NWC of his ruling All Progressives Congress APC, 18 months after his controversial inauguration as President of the Senate. This was as the ruling party effectively took responsibility for some of the problems confronting it. The party chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun lamented that some of the initial steps taken by the APC created some problems.
Following the June 9, 2015 inauguration of the national assembly in which the party’s choices for the assembly leadership could not scale through, there has been no love-lost between the party and the presidency on one hand and the assembly leadership on the other.
He said; “Unfortunately, it is clear that there were first steps since we came into office which created problems and the very nature itself of the amalgamating parties, created its own issues all of which has tended, up till now, affected the mode of operations and the level of interactions between the various arms of government and the party. So, we have a unique, God-given opportunity to take a look at ourselves, take a look at the National Assembly, look at the party and look at the way we all interact among ourselves and the governed and it is my hope that this will be the very best of this high level interaction.
“We will at the very end of it all, present to the Nigerian public, a government, a party and a National Assembly that are working all in the same direction. “The economy is tough, as a result, people are going through hard times and it is certainly not acceptable. The people who are looking up to us, want to find us concentrated, determined, focused on programmes that will ameliorate not just the economy but the condition of living of the ordinary Nigerian.
It is hoped that after this interaction, the public will begin to see a new party, National Assembly and of course focused governance of the people. “It has been a very rewarding meeting.
As far as the party is concerned, we commended the senate and the entire National Assembly for the way they have worked so far with the Executive. We are determined and we concluded that we must work closely together to address some of the glitches that still exist, the relationship between the National Assembly and the executive.
“It means that an end is in sight. We have started the process, but there are issues to be resolved and there is no question at all that we are a family and when things have gone wrong, we accept that things have gone wrong and we are determined to right those wrongs”.
COMMENTS