Tanko Yakasai, founding member of Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, on Sunday, January 28, 2018 asked the Federal Government to implement the recommendations of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Committee on True Federalism before the 2019 general elections to promote peace and unity in the country.
In a statement he issued to journalists in Kano, the 91-year-old politician commended John Odigie-Oyegun, APC National Chairman over his initiative in setting up the Nasir el-Rufai’s Committee on True Federalism.
He said that the panel’s recommendations were in tandem with the report of the 2014 National Conference, which he said, would end the agitations for self-determination and the sentiment of nepotism if it had been implemented long ago.
“I wish to congratulate Odigie-Oyegun and his colleagues in APC National Working Committee (NWC) for their foresight in constituting the APC Committee on True Federalism headed by Nasir El-Rufai, governor of Kaduna State.
“Since the conclusion of the 2014 National Conference, there have been discussions to fine-tune our constitution and see how it will conform to the present political reality in this country. I am happy to note that throughout these discussions, there has not been any opposition to the issue of re-examining our constitution and see how best we need to realign it with our existing situation.
“I am happy to note that members of the National and States’ Assemblies who are vested with the powers to change the constitution have been, all along, up and doing, trying to move side-by-side with the mood of the nation on the issue of realignment of the constitution with the existing reality.
“I congratulate the leadership of the ruling party, APC, for its courage in setting up the El-Rufai Committee. I also congratulate the chairman and members of the Committee for a job well-done. I appreciate the foresight of the National Working Committee of the APC led by a veteran bureaucrat, Chief Odigie-Oyegun for deploying the strategy for which bureaucrats are well-known and respected all over the world, to steer the nation through this debate without bitterness and rancour,” he said.
“I am glad that members of the El-Rufai Committee have risen to the occasion and their recommendations are, in most cases, in tandem with the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference. The El-Rufai Committee should be commended by all and sundry for this all-important job.”
“I strongly advocate for the implementation of the recommendations of the El-Rufai Committee before the 2019 elections,” he said.
