Oshiomhole: Non-APC heads of federal agencies sabotaging change agenda

Mr Adams Oshiomhole, the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, said non-members heading most agencies are sabotaging Federal Government and the party’s change agenda.

He said henceforth, the party would no longer appoint non-members to oversee federal agencies.

Oshiomhole said this on Wednesday in Abuja, while addressing the party’s newly elected National Executives of the 39 member non-National Working Committee (NWC).

He noted that a lot of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) members were still occupying important positions in federal agencies under the APC-led Federal Government, adding that they must be weeded out.

“We have a duty to do everything possible to purge these them out of the system, because we are a party of change and they are the conservative right-wing party.

“We cannot entrust to conservative forces an agenda for change, government is not in the villa, villa is the head of government.

“Government is in the agencies, what they do, how they do it, the quality of service delivery and the style of that service delivery.

“That is how the ordinary man interface with power, when these agencies are in the hands of those who do not believe in our change agenda, then we cannot expect miracles from them.

“Therefore, we have a duty to convince the Federal Executive Council (FEC) that this government has no business maintaining PDP members in sensitive federal agencies and using their old tactics in service delivery,’’ he said.

The APC national chairman said the party’s executives must work consciously to ensure that in replacing such PDP members holding federal appointments, it must replace “sinners with believers’’.

He explained that believers were card-carrying members of the APC.

Oshiomhole affirmed that before the party goes outside its family to appoint anyone, it must be convinced that the person it was engaging had a particular expertise which was not within the party.

“But even so, he must first change the card and demonstrate loyalty, because if you don’t believe in a process, you cannot be entrusted in the management of that process.

“It is not because we are hungry to have our people have jobs, but because I have no confidence that PDP appointees can drive the changes that APC promised.

“APC promises must be kept by APC activists, at managerial level, board level and at political levels. While we are working on that, I urge you all to be patient,’’ Oshiomhole said.

He charged the newly inaugurated executives to be ambassadors to their constituencies in explaining to the people what the APC-led Federal Government was doing across the country.

The chairman also charged them to see themselves as foot soldiers with a responsibility to explain to the people why there was the need for all to join hands with government to fight corruption.

He noted that while the APC-led Federal Government was doing well in improving the economy and developing the country, it could do better.

“We haven’t come here to share resources or privileges but to resume work, to work not only for our party, but for the entire nation.

“And because we are in a governing party, we must lead by example and engage in healthy contestations and debates on policy choices.

“We must allow ourselves to agree and disagree not necessarily on direction, but how best to get to the direction.’’

He said they must show capacity to engage and have a conversation and to reach agreement after contestations.

Oshiomhole assured that the APC National Working Committee (NWC) under his leadership was committed to working with the party’s Constitution.

He added that issues would be discussed and addressed as they come up, stressing that while elections were held once in every four years, challenges arise daily.

According to him, meetings will be held as and when due to address challenges as they come up in the party’s state chapters.

This, he said, would help to nip in the board challenges before they become national embarrassment, adding that the executives had what it takes to rebuild the party.

Oshiomhole, while noting that the party had challenges in its last state congresses, said such challenges were being addressed by its leadership.

“We are in the process of identifying those states where we had challenges, identify people involved to see the role we can play to help everyone.

“The goal is to find a common ground and resolve issues not on the basis of winner or loser, but to have a win-win solution in all of those places we had challenges,’’ he said.

He told the executives that he had met with APC caucus in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives and other party leaders with a view to addressing the challenges.

Oshiomhole added that the party’s leadership was committed to justice, fairness and respect to democratic principles, saying that arrogance and disrespect must be avoided.

He said that every challenge of the party would be addressed if its members worked in unity and consciously demonetised and remove corruption from the process of nominations.

The chairman, however, maintained that the APC leadership would not be compromised or intimidated, adding that it would also not misuse its privileges.

“We will use our privileges judiciously, with an eye for justice, fairness and also for those who are electorally resourceful,” he said.