Writing By Jamila Abba; Editing By Yusuf Zubairu
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to demonstrate statesmanship by directing his officials to avoid engaging in blame games that portray sub-national governments negatively.
They urged the President to refrain from citing limited interventions that fail to adequately address the issues at hand.
These was revealed in the communiqué read by Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Muhammed, who is the Chairman of the forum, at the conclusion of their fourth meeting of 2024, held at the Government House in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital.
The communique’ read, “The PDP Governors expressed relief that the #EndBadGovernance protests, which were close to escalating into a major crisis, had ended, while praised PDP governors for managing the situation effectively and preventing disruptions by hoodlums”.
It says the Forum reiterated that peaceful protests are a fundamental right for expressing grievances, extended condolences to the victims’ families, and urged the Federal Government to ensure a fair and swift trial for the arrested individuals.
The communiqué criticizes the Federal Government for avoiding a review of policies and resorting to blackmail. It urges the President to stop his officials from making ineffective interventions and reaffirms the Forum’s commitment to support Nigerians and address their issues effectively.
It also notes the political impasse in Rivers State, where court judgments are being used to determine the outcome of party congresses, while reaffirming support for Governor Siminalayi Fubara and plans to work with the party’s NWC to resolve the issue and restore his leadership position.
Regarding the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State, the communiqué condemn the President’s statements that could compromise the election in favour of his party and the systematic intimidation of PDP supporters by the Nigerian Police and called on the Inspector General of Police to discipline his officers.
The Forum explains with concerned about the Federal Government’s mismanagement of revenue and calls for adherence to legal allocation practices, and also urges the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Accountant General of the Federation to act transparently and separately from the Federal Government role.
”The Forum commends the Taraba State Government, under Governor Agbu Kefas, for the hospitality extended to the Forum and its Secretariat. It also notes with delight the significant progress made in delivering democratic benefits to the state’s residents, in alignment with the PDP’s governance philosophy” the communiqué emphasised.
COV/JAMILA ABBA
