Buhari endorses restructuring of Nigeria

President Muhammadu Buhari 

President Muhammadu Buhari has endorsed the report on restructuring Nigeria, presented to him by the Governor Nasir el-Rufai-led All Progressives Congress, APC, committee.

A former Governor of Ogun State, Aremo Olusegun Osoba disclosed this to State House correspondents after meeting behind closed doors with the President at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Wednesday.

The APC chieftain appealed to Nigerians, especially statesmen and other activists agitating for restructuring of the country, to be patient with the President and the APC, saying that steps would be taken to get the National Assembly start work on legalising the relevant aspects of the report.



He said that APC had restructuring as devolution of powers from the Federal Government to States, enshrined in its manifesto.

According to him: “I am part of the presidency because the President is our President. I can tell you, all this noise about Restructuring, we APC put devolution of power, true federalism in our manifesto and we have moved far from there to where a committee was set up, headed by the governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai.

“That committee has submitted its report, that report has been presented to us in the caucus and the President was there. The president endorsed the outcome. I want Nigerians to please, give us time. I hope and pray that at the right time, the government or the party would send that report to National Assembly for debate.



“I will say with all authority that Restructuring lies with National Assembly. The President is not a military president; he cannot change anything by decree. Sovereignty in Nigeria now is vested in the National Assembly.

“Those agitating for sovereign national conference must go through the National Assembly and unless the National Assembly surrenders part of its powers by an Act, there can never be sovereign national conference.

“Secondly, agitation for referendum; there must be an act of the National Assembly to create that referendum. It is not the president that would by fiat or by Executive Order, order for referendum. It must go through the National Assembly.



“That is why I plead with our elders: Pa Edwin Clark, Pa Adebanjo, Professor Banji Akintoyin, all across Nigeria, who met the 8th Senate and heard what that National Assembly has done in terms of the review of the constitution – they should come back and tell us!

“We cannot move forward until we recognize the importance and the powers vested in the National Assembly. And for restructuring, let us go through the legal route.”