Atiku: Blocking bill on devolution of powers is a betrayal of APC campaign promises

Atiku Abubakar, former vice president, says the decision of the senate to block the bill seeking to devolve powers to states was a betrayal of the campaign promises of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The senate on Wednesday rejected the bill which seeks to move some items from the exclusive list in the 1999 constitution to the concurrent list.

Reacting in a statement by his media office on Thursday, Atiku expressed sadness that the lawmakers were reluctant to remove decades-old structural impediments to development.

“This blockage of the bill by an APC-led Senate majority is a betrayal of our party’s pre-election promises. It was an important vote and I’m shocked by some so-called progressives’ visceral and cynical opposition to restructuring,” he said.

“I think this is disingenuous. And I think it is a sad day for our party. But I’m confident the APC will learn the right lesson from this self-inflicted defeat, and remember the mission and mandate given to us by the people.”

The APC chieftain, however, said he was hopeful that the lawmakers would muster “the courage to stand by what is right, and not by what serves their personal vanities and political interests.

“Let me be clear: Restructuring is no panacea to all our nation’s problems. But devolving resources and responsibilities from an overbearing, unresponsive, and ineffective Federal Government to the states is the first step we must make if we are serious about putting our nation back on track, and our people back to work.”