PDP Governors Forum has called for the devolution of powers and restructuring as a recipe for unifying all groups in the country.
Its chairman, Gov Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto, stated this on Friday in Makurdi while reading the forums’ communique at the end of its meeting.
The communique stated that the party was positioned to wrest power from the ruling APC -led Federal Government in the general elections of 2023.
The governors said that the country would not afford another civil war and called for devolution of powers and restructuring of the country to bring all groups together.
The forum also urged Nigerians to take full advantage of the ongoing constitution amendment process to demand for a decentralized security architecture that involved states and local governments.
“Time has come to take advantage of the ongoing Constitution Amendment process to decentralize the security architecture of Nigeria and involve States and Local Governments.
“We reaffirmed our conviction that an urgent devolution of powers and restructuring of the country in a way that brings together various groups and tendencies in the country appears to have become imperative and timely now as Nigeria cannot afford another civil war,” parts of the communique read.
The forum condemned what it termed “the alarming drift of Nigerian economy, security and otherwise” under the watch of the APC led-government.
The communique regretted the breakdown of law and order in many parts of the country and called for a proper management of the nations economy.
According to the governors, the situation has giving rise to ethnic and tribal tensions, religious divisions and vairous forms of social and political cleavages.
Parts of the communique read: “We expressed deep concern and alarm at the deteriorating relations between various groups in Nigeria.
“We agreed that this has given rise to ethnic and tribal tensions, religious divisions, and various forms of social and political cleavages. ”
The Governors concluded that Nigeria is in dire need of leadership at the federal level to avert the looming disaster.”
The governors, who admitted that they had roles to play in resolving some of the ” worsening situations”, their hands were tied owing to the centralized system of government in the country.
They also called on Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission to send a new Revenue Allocation Formula that allocates more resources to States and Local Governments to the President for onward submission to the National Assembly.
They claimed: “It is a scandal that 21 years after the 1999 Constitution came into being, no new revenue formula is in place. Furthermore, the meeting called for a more transparent and accountable running and operation of the NNPC.”
It also called on President Buhari to lift the “No flight Zone” and other intimidating tactics, imposed on Zamfara State as similar measures were not extended to similar states with security challenges like Kaduna, Borno, Katsina, Yobe and others.
“We are distressed that Nigeria is now officially the country with the highest unemployment rate in the world at 33 percent under the disastrous leadership of APC.
“This is following on the heels of yet another feat of being the country with the second highest poverty rate in the world. For APC, it is indeed a race to the bottom.”
The meeting thanked Gov Samuel Ortom for hosting the first meeting of the PDP Governors in recent times outside Abuja and for holding the Party together not only in Benue but in the entire North-Central.
Governors in attendance were that of Sokoto, Abia Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Benue, Delta, Enugu, Rivers, Oyo, Taraba, Adamawa, Edo, Zamfara and the Deputy Governor of Bauchi
