APC to reward 57 steadfast senators – Oshiomhole

Ahead the forthcoming party primaries, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has revealed that the party has decided to reward 57 Senators who refused to be mislead or manipulated but chose to remain steadfast with the party.

Oshiomhole, who was referring to the defection of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the party had learnt from the mistake of the past where people he described as bread and butter politicians were given tickets of the party,

adding that the party will not field candidates he described as opportunists, who are seeking to use the platform of the party to achieve their selfish interest.

Speaking while addressing members of the screening committee of the party at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, Oshiomhole noted that “as we speak I am proud that we have 57 senators who have refused to be induced or misled or otherwise manipulated into moving to other parties or reward for juicy positions. They have decided to remain in our party even with all the intimidation they have suffered.

“It will be ungodly for us as a party not to reward those who believe in the party and the government of the day led by President Muhammadu Buhari. We will try as much as we can to have stability in the National Assembly”.

Lamenting that since assumption of office, the National Working Committee (NWC) had been tackling issues arising to the last congresses of the party which he described as fraudulent, Oshiomhole asserted that the party will correct the mistakes of the past and confront the opposition come 2019.

“In many of the states we had challenges arising from the way congresses were conducted, many of them were quite fraudulent that has been the challenge we have been trying to resolve since we came.

Screening of aspirants is not a formality, which is why we tried to search for men and women of integrity who cannot be compromised. We do not want to field opportunists who are simply seeking a political vehicle for some selfish purposes.

What had happened in recent past is enough for us to begin to look at the character of those who are seeking office under the APC platform.

“If before now we have taken for granted the powers of the National Assembly, how those powers can be used for National goals and how it can also be misused to undermine National progress, the current situation we are facing here, where two principal officers have chosen to put their personal interest over and above the national interest.

Refusing to consider budget meant for physical infrastructure. Budget meant to re-order the way our budget is executed, to move money away from consumption which recurrent expenditure represents to capital projects which will benefit our people.

“Refusing to approve money meant for the body charged with the responsibility of conducting elections in 2019.

For us as a party, we have chosen to learn from the positive lessons from this development so that we do not repeat those mistakes by selecting people who as far as human capacity is, we can assess and predict that if elected they will remain faithful not only to our party but more importantly to the Nigerian nation”.

The party chairman emphasised that “If we have disagreement, it will not be about juicy appointments. It will be about appropriate policies, it will be about how governance is impacting positively on the lives of Nigerians. It will not be about who is getting what, politics of sharing”.