The Presidency in a statement by the President’s Political Adviser, Professor Rufai Alkali, has responded to the recent allegations by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that Pres. Goodluck Jonathan is running the economy aground before handing over.
Alkali described the APC allegations as “immature, reckless and out of tune with the President’s desire and patriotic commitment to a peaceful transfer of power.” He wondered why the APC just won’t talk less and plan more in preparation for their takeover of government this month. He also alleged that the APC had been slow in inaugurating their own transition committee as opposed to the President who promptly inaugurated his.
He said that the APC’s “recent, frequent and unnecessary attacks on the President clearly shows that they are losing their nerves and are beginning to lay foundation to justify their failures in the near future and we want to remind them that Nigerians are not ready to accept any excuses for their failure. They promised to bring change, so they must bring positive change to the well-being of Nigerians and urgently too.
“Nigerians will recall that shortly after the results of the Presidential elections were announced, President Goodluck Jonathan inaugurated a high powered transition committee to plan and organise a hitch-free transition programme for the inauguration of the incoming administration.
“Surprisingly, it took the APC more than three weeks to wake up to its responsibility to constitute its own transition committee. How then can they turn round to accuse the government of frustrating the transition programme?
“Since the setting up of the committee, the President and the entire machinery of the Federal Government have been put on the transition mood and all government officers have been giving maximum cooperation to the incoming transition committee.
“By the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Jonathan remains in office up to May 29, 2015 when he formally hands over to the incoming President. The machinery of government cannot be put on hold or frozen because the country is in transition”
