Buhari’s list not worth the long wait –PDP

Opposition political parties and some socio- political groups on Tuesday said President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial list read out by Senate President Bukola Saraki did not worth the long wait by Nigerians. The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, the Labour Party and the Yoruba pan socio- political group, Afenifere, were some of the groups that said the list did not show any surprise commensurate to expectations. The PDP, in a statement in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, stated that Buhari’s delay in constituting his cabinet could not be justified. It said, “By a mere look at the list, one can tell that there is nothing to be excited about, especially considering the length of time it took the President to come up with it. “Looking at the list, it is hard to put a finger on why it should take any serious-minded and focused government six months after its election to assemble such a regular team.” He said the list and the length of time it took to present it had further confirmed that the All Progressives Congress-led administration was being driven by propaganda and deceit, a development he said raised doubts about the sincerity of the government’s anti-corruption crusade. The National Chairman of LP, Alhaji Abdulsalam Abdulkadir, said that the President’s list was filled with “recycled politicians and individuals.” He said, “From independence till date, the same people are being recycled. Governors who ruled their states recklessly are on the list. They never considered any youth worthy of consideration as a minister. Many of them are analogues and are not in tune with modern day expectations. “None of the ministerial nominees can meet our yearnings and expectations. It is very unfortunate that President Muhammadu Buhari will delay Nigerians for five months just for a list of recycled people and 21 names for ministerial positions. The implication is that before he brings the rest, four years tenure would have gone. This has shown Nigerians that nothing good will come from Buhari and the APC. “This is to show Nigerians that the change mantra is fake; there is no sincerity of purpose there and no commitment to the Nigerian cause. They just deceived Nigerians with ‘change, change’ slogan and won the heart of Nigerians.” Also, the National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, said that there was no fresh face on the list. Odumakin, speaking for Afenifere, said, “One would have loved to see fresh faces who can at least offer hope. The list is however replete with a lot of faces that have been active part of the rot of the past years. There are persons perching on mountains of corruption and we can only hope that the Senate has enough resolve to do a proper screening. These are all Genesis people and not Revelation.” A human rights lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, said that nothing was inspiring about the list of the ministerial nominees. He said all the nominees were familiar faces. The lawyer said, “The impression that the President gave to everyone was that he was searching out for ‘saints’ to work with him. We could not have wasted the past three months waiting for Fayemi, Fashola, Amaechi, Ngige and Audu Ogbeh. These are people who had worked with the President, whose names he should have compiled even before he was sworn in. “There was thus no need for all the hype and melodrama about the ministerial list, in the manner that the President has kept the whole nation in such frenetic suspense and deliberate guesswork. “They all appear to be people of conscience, on the face of it, who ordinarily should help midwife a new Nigeria, but given the internal contradictions currently plaguing the ruling APC, then we may not expect any miracle from those names already announced.” A member of the African Regional Representative, International Bar Association Human Rights Working Group, Ms. Carol Ajie, faulted the inclusion of only three women. She said, “Three women out of a list of 21 is seven male nominees to one female, falls short of our sustainable development goals of promoting gender equality, empowering women in politics and the professions. “Nigeria is one of Africa’s leading lights, hence our political leaders should position our country to attain the development agenda ratified by all countries, in keeping true to the millennium momentum.” But a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr. Joseph Nwobike, said the President reserved the right to nominate those he believed would help him to achieve his agenda for the country. “The President knows what his agenda is. He knows what he wants to achieve by way of giving dividends of democracy to Nigerians. So what it means is that those the President has nominated are those he believes will assist him in achieving his agenda and to deliver the dividends of democracy. We cannot assess them now because they have not assumed offices,” he said.