Delta APC Youth Leaders, Stakeholders Presents 6-point Demands To President Buhari

A group known as the Delta APC Youth Leaders and Stakeholders Forum, has presented a 7-point demands to president Muhammadu Buhari.

The group while congratulating the president on his well-deserved victory at the Presidential poll, recall that Buhari's first tenure allowed the major opposition in the country, the Peoples'Democratic Party (PDP), to gain access into positions that APC members were supposed to occupy.

In a letter addressed to the president and obtained by The Nigerian Voice Monday in Asaba, titled: "ATTENTION! THE SILIENT QUEST OF PDP ELEMENTS IN HIJACKING THE STRUCTURES OF THIS GOVERNMENT AND THE NEED TO EXERCISE CAUTION", the group alleged that some empowerment programmes in the last regime were hijacked by PDP stooge in APC clothing.

The letter which was signed by the group's president, Comrade Timi Coleman among other leaders and was copied to the Vice President, the Senate president, Speaker, House of Representatives, national chairman of the party among other top leaders of the party, regretted that core APC faithful who fought for the reelection of the president were sidelined while PDP stole the show.

"Sir recall in 2015, out of your magnanimity in victory, open heartedness and simplicity, belonging to everybody and nobody, some members of the major opposition party were appointed into sensitive offices, some of which turned out to be saboteurs clogging the wheel of progress in your administration. Some of them even went further to fight your re-election bid and sponsored persons and structures to scuttle your quest for second tenure; this some did openly while some were very careful and discret about their quest, but here in the Niger-Delta “nothing is hidden under the sun”, we are very much aware of what transpired, since we were at the fore front of the election battle and saw first hand the whims and caprices of “enemies within”.

"Sir, in the last administration, some errors were also observed by us, where APC led Federal Government empowernment programmes especially in the Niger Delta, were being coordinated by PDP structures to benefit only their core supporters and still went ahead to take glory for such programmes. The core APC supporters were completely stranded and shoved aside. They were neglected by the State structures and also marginalized from recieving what is due them because PDP structures were used to implement APC programmes. However, despite this disadvantages, the APC members in the Niger Delta, especially Delta State still put themselves together to garner over 35% votes for Mr. President’s election.

"Sir, right now, we are observing that what played out in 2015 is about to repeat itself in this current dispensation where core PDP loyalist who physically and verbally attacked us in the just concluded 2019 elections are currently being fronted by some APC stalwarts in the Niger Delta for appointments into sensitive offices in this administration. If this agenda succeeds, it simply means, the government we sacrificed our lives for, deliberately handed us over to our enemies to be killed!

"Sir, we are very surprised that people that swore that you will never see victory in 2019 and put their monies and resources to ensure you were never re-elected as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, are now parading themselves as friends of the government and are currently being aided, supported and nominated by some APC stalwarts in the Niger Delta to man sensitive offices so as to use APC Federal Government resources to strengthen PDP structures and completely destroy and annihilate APC structures and members in the Niger Delta.

"Sir, we know you have a listening ear and may not be completely aware of the politics in the Niger Delta, hence the reason we are writing this letter to you. We, the core APC members in the Niger Delta, Delta State in particular suffered untold hardship in your last dispensation as people who called us all sorts of names such as “Boko Haram”, “Betrayals” “Sell out” etc, became chief beneficiaries of the APC led administration from 2015-2019. Again this ugly trend is about repeating itself where people who fought against your re-election bid called us all sorts of unprintables names such as “killer herdsmen”, baba goslow” children” etc are now parading themselves as friends of the government and seeking appointments into sensitive offices. This should not be allowed to happen the second time.

"We are pleading that the core offices created in the Niger Delta to sustain peace should be manned by core APC sons and daughters from the Niger Delta. Offices such as NDDC, NIMASA, MND, PAP etc; should be manned by faithful members of our party working in tandem with the visions of Mr. President to sustain peace in the Niger Delta.

"Again we appeal to Mr. President and the Vice President to consider the interest of APC faithfuls in as much as the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians first. Let it be known that Delta Ijaw APC faithfuls are equally Nigerians and shouldn’t suffer marginalization, neglect and worse treatment from our own APC led Federal Government we fought and bled for; hence the anomalies should be corrected in this dispensation".

In their 6-points prayers, they said: "In considering appointments into sensitive parastatals in the Niger Delta Such as NDDc, MND, PAP, NIMASA etc, core and qualified Party (APC) members in the Niger Delta and the State concerned should have the right of first refusal. They should be first considered before others. And thorough internal party screening, security screening investigations, and background check should be carried out on them from their unit to Ward, to LGA and State levels.

"They should be thoroughly screened by the DSS and EFCC

"The social investment programmes and other federal government empowerment programmes should be anchored by APC stalwarts in States that do not have APC State governors; so as to avoid the opposition hijacking the processes to the detriment of APC faithful and still condemn the APC led government while collecting glories from her (APC) policies and programmes.

"State visits and functions to be carried out by the presidency or vice president should be anchored by APC stalwarts who will work with the respective state governors and also carry the APC faithful from that domain along so as to have a sense of belonging where party faithfuls are not carried along, they will become strangers in their own house. This should immediately be implement by the Vice President on his scheduled visit to Delta State this month of July, particularly to Gbaramatu Kingdom. The party fiathfuls in Gbaramatu Kingdom and environs should be carried along to create a sense of belonging and further strengthen the party in the area in particular and the State in general.

"It's also a known fact that no single Delta State Ijaw was appointed in your erstwhile tenure. We earnestly pray you to correct the anomaly by appointing Delta State Ijaw man to handle the duo offices of NDDD chairman and PAP.

"And finally, appointments, policies and programmes to be implemented in the Niger Delta, should be carried out in consultation with the party faithful at all levels concerned so as to ensure the effectiveness of such programmes because saboteurs will be easily identified and blocked from assessing such events from the local level. This will bring about successes and smooth running of the administration's policies in the Niger Delta", adding that they are very sure Mr. President would consider the recommendations made in their letter and ensure the right thing is done".