John Adams, Minna
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State has warned President Muhammadu Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, listen to calls by well-meaning Nigerians and sack ” cabals surrounding him before it is too late.
A stalwart of the party and former commissioner for information and culture in the state, Jonathan Vatsa said that until the President sacks those cabals, Nigerians will never believe in his fight against corruption.
This call is coming barely a week after the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Professor Sagay Itsejuwa Esanjumi made a similar call, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to sack cabals in his cabinet,
Prof. Sagay spoke when he delivered a lecture at the Federal University of Technology, (FUT), Minna, saying that “the cabals in the government have no business being in the presidency and as such they should be fished out and flushed out”.
Vatsa who was also a former publicity secretary of the party in the state, pointed out that “President Buhari must keep to his promises especially his inaugural speech where said he said “I belong to everybody, I belong to nobody”.
According to Vatsa “President Buhari must have the political will to eject his kinsmen and the cabals who have hijacked the government and inject new people, especially technocrats with new ideas who are ready to reshape this country.
“The day President Buhari made that statement, Nigerians took him by his words but his silence has kept many Nigerians wondering whether he meant all the promises made during campaigns and after his resumption of office.
Hon. Vatsa insisted that the cabals in Aso Rock remains the greatest problem of the Buhari administration, stressing that “he must do away with them because there is a difference between family, friends and governance”
“We worked for the APC and what we envisaged is not what we are witnessing, Nigerians are complaining and we understand with them.
“Until he can do away with them, Nigerians can never believe that he is fighting corruption. He should prove to us that he is ready to save Nigeria.
While calling on the President to prove to Nigerians why he can still earn their trust, Vatsa said “democracy is all about the people and not about the individual.”
Furthermore, he called on Mr. President to use his recent appointment at the African Union as Anti-corruption Crusader as a base to clean the system because, charity, they said begins at home.
On the recent high court judgment on Magu, Vatsa advised President Buhari to respect the rule of law saying that lack of rule of law also amount to corruption.
“Now that the high court has ruled that Magu be removed, President Buhari should quickly replace him because he is not the only credible Nigerian, there are other Nigerians that can even do better,” he submitted.