Submit your memorandum-Governor Sule urges participants at APC constitution review meeting

Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has appealed to stakeholders from the state participating in the ongoing constitution review meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to submit their memorandum before the committee for consideration and possible adoption.

Governor Sule made the call while flagging off the constitution review meeting of the APC, North Central zone which held in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital on Wednesday.

The Governor who is the Chairman, North Central Governors Forum, as well as member and Coordinator, North Central, APC Constitution Review Committee, said the moment presented an opportunity for stakeholders to push for necessary amendments of the constitution to address certain lapses.

“I want our stakeholders, in particular, to use the opportunity to submit as many memorandum for this amendment as possible. We will sit as members of this committee to review the memorandum and accommodate them.

“I pray that all of us will contribute to this positively. I thank all our stakeholders for coming from various places to be part of this meeting. It is very important that before you go, you submit so that people will carry it along,” he stated.

According to him, it is necessary for the participants to submit their memorandum especially that a lot of people who otherwise thought to be delegates are no longer delegates according to the current constitution of the APC.

“A lot of the people who will be delegates are no longer delegates now according to our party’s constitution today. I think it is very important that instead of making complaints later on, it is better that we submit memorandum so that we can capture that,” he said.

Governor Sule used the opportunity to once again, commend President Ahmed Bola Tinubu for initiating reforms resulting into improved revenue coming to the federal, state and local government.

“We commend Mr President for the reforms he has done in the area of the withdrawal of fuel subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange. Those two major reforms have produced what we are seeing today in forms of improved revenues that are accruing to the federal, state and local government,” he added.

He explained that, as a result of the improved revenue, his administration has executed more infrastructure in the last two years than it did in the first four years of the administration.

“That is the reason why I have informed this delegation that met me earlier, that everything you see in Nasarawa, because indeed, in Nasarawa State in the last two years, we have done more infrastructure than we did in the last four years of our administration.

“All these infrastructure that you see in Lafia, are being duplicated also in the other zones. But more importantly, we are doing a lot when it comes to the areas of alleviating poverty, improving investment, attracting mining and processing activities, improving our revenue,” he said.

The Governor said there is no better time to amendment the constitution of the APC than now, especially with the party receiving members of the opposition ahead of the 2027 general election.

“There is no better time to look at the constitution of our party like now. Every time we are having a meeting of the Progressive Governors, the next meeting we are having we are welcoming another governor into our party. This is happening, because our party, like our former national chairman has mentioned, the APC has become the Noah’s Ark. Anyone who wants to be part of the good governance has to come and join,” he said.

In his speech, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, appreciated Governor Sule for not only accepting to declare the meeting open but also for accepting to host the event.

The APC national chairman, represented at the event by Professor Abdulkarim Abubakar Kana, Deputy National Secretary of the party, equally thanked the Governor for sponsoring the entire activities of the party’s constitution review committee.

“We must first thank the Governor of Nasarawa State for hosting us. He is a party friendly Governor. He has, like I always said, held very firmly and tightly, the torch of victory for the party in the state. He has done very well. Your Excellency, we thank you for what you have done. You are a model governor in the country. We are proud of you. The APC is happy with Nasarawa State,” he said.

In a remarks, South-south Coordinator, APC Constitution Review Committee, Alphonsus Ogar Eba, who doubles at the Chairman of the party in Cross Rivers State, commended President Tinubu for initiating the constitution review.

Ebay, also known as the Political Evangelist, said the constitution review presents an opportunity to address some of the obvious lacuna in the present constitution.

He therefore called on the participants to submit their memorandum.

“Feel free to adopt your memorandum. Members of the state house of assembly who are not members of the local government caucus, this is an opportunity for you. Members of the state executive committee who arw not members of the local government caucus, this is an opportunity for you,” he said.

Also speaking, South-east Coordinator of the CRC, Rt. Hon Miriam Odinaka Onuoha, said the APC has taken the front row in promoting internal party democracy as enshrined in Article 7 of our party’s constitution.

She added that the party, in its constitution, also supports and observes affirmative action, stressing that, any woman seeking a platform to be seen, to be heard and to impact positively in their communities, should join the party or be left out.

Earlier in his welcome address, host and Nasarawa State Chairman of the APC, Dr. Aliyu Bello, commended Governor Sule for the progress and unity being witnessed within the party.

“I want to tell you without mincing words that the party in Nasarawa State is intact. Under his own leadership, the party in Nasarawa State is enjoying his patronage as you can attest to this. With the importance attached to this constitution review, he asked us to invite all the commissioners, all the local government chairmen, deputy chairmen, speakers of the local legislative council, all elected assembly members.

“He asked us to invite at least three critical stakeholders who are lawyers from the various local governments. It is only Engr. A. A Sule that can think about that line,” he said.