NASS leadership crisis under control, says Oyegun

Oyegun

THE National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, yesterday assured Nigerians that the choice of the leadership for the National Assembly would be resolved before the inauguration of the Eight Assembly on Friday.

He said while the party understood the need to give the assembly, as a separate arm of government, the freedom to select its leadership, the party was ready to provide the enabling environment, with which, they could do so with little or no rancour.
Speaking to journalists at the Defence House, where he led the National Working Committee (NWC) of his party to their maiden meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, since his inauguration, Oyegun said the party was desirous of providing the much desired quality leadership and change for Nigerians.

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“There will be no crisis, I want to give you that assurance. We are very conscious of the fact that the National Assembly is the separate arm of government and the constitution provides that they are the ones responsible for electing their own officers, all we have to do is provide for them a conducive environment of doing just that.”

He said: “I led my colleagues in the NWC of the APC to pay our respects to the President. We have not done so before‎ now because we wanted the event to move to the ultimate climax, which is his installation as President, Commander-in-Chief and that has occurred.
“So, we just came here to felicitate with him, pledge our loyalty and determination to work with him through thick and thin and assure him that he can always depend on the party on the platform of which he become President of this great nation.

“We noted the fact that expectations are extremely ‎high and that the public expects a totally new dawn. On that score we told him we are with him. Mr. President will succeed because the entire party will be galvanised as one man behind him to ensure that days into this presidency, Nigerians will indeed see that things are changing. All the problems cannot be solved in one day and you cannot at the flick of a finger, bring that kind of eventuality.
“But what Nigerians want is to be sure that we are getting it right and that we are on the proper path towards answering their long frustration, towards ameliorating their condition and that is what they will get.”
The APC boss, who declined to give details of their discussion with the President said: “We did have frank discussions and I think all that happened is that he was quite appreciative ‎of our declaration of support. He briefed us on one or two issues and we are quiet pleased at the way things are going.”
Asked how long Nigerians should wait for the ministerial list to be released to the public, Oyegun said: “All I can say is that Mr. President is committed to carrying the party along in everything that he does and we are very grateful for that.
He has always been like that, he has put the party in the front burner in all the things he does at all times and he has continued to do that.”
On criticism of Buhari for not declaring publicly his assets, Oyegun said only the President could address the issue.