….. Applauds Principal Officers House of Reps, Sen. Aduda, Sokodobo, Gbefwi , Jiba for their support, courage.
An advocacy group under the auspices of Abuja Grassroots Advocacy Projects (AGAP) has berated All Progressive Congress (APC) Senators at National Assembly over failure to support the plights of the vulnerable people of the Federal Capital Territory by voting against a bill for an act to alter the provision of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, to provide for Office Of Mayor for the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Abuja and related matters.
The chief advocate of the group, Comrade Yunusa Ahmadu Yusuf, in a press briefing also threatened that, if the Senators at the National Assembly continue to ignore sensitive matters that have a direct bearing on the plight of FCT indigenes, the indigenous people of FCT might be pushed to the wall to boycott the 2023 general elections.
He commended the only Senator representing the FCT at the National Assembly for his courage and height standard of lobbying his colleagues to support the Mayoral bill in favour of FCT natives, that he has so far showcased his love and sacrifices for the FCT people,
He also commended the effort and doggedness of the principal officers House of Representatives, Hon Sokodobo, Hon Jiba, Hon Gbefwi for standing by the FCT people to ensure that the bill scaled through in favour of FCT indigenes at the lower Chambers
He further called on Nigerians to question the rationale behind the negative motives of the Senators attitude over the Mayoral status of the FCT, especially the Senators from the far Northern part of the country, while regretting the support the indigenous people of FCT gave to the APC to win two-third of the votes in 2016 and 2019 to clinch the sit of Presidency which he said may be difficult for the APC as a party in 2023.
Yusuf also reminded Nigerians of the July 4th, 1978 policy reversal made by former Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo to stop the evacuation of FCT natives as earlier recommended by Justice Akinola Aguda, that the decision affirmed that FCT has never been a “virgin land” or “no man’s land” as misconceived by some Nigerians.
According to him, the sacrifices of the FCT indigenous people should be seen by elites as an everlasting sacrifice that should be paid back by any policy that will favor and reduce the long-suffering of the Abuja Original inhabitant.
“The Senators should review its decision to vote out the mayoral status of the FCT, saying that the FCT mayoral status would foster National Development and enhance adequate representation in governance.
”Section 297 to 307 to be replaced by the establishment for FCT with an elected mayor and Mayoral Assembly which will now replace the president by designating FCT as the Governor of FCT and National Assembly as the FCT Legislators respectively as against the status of executive and legislative functions vested on the president and the National Assembly.
“If we have original inhabitants of the FCT well captured within the constitution of our country we are on our way to working out a better Nigeria where every Nigerian has a right,” he said.
