Gbaja: APC must be committed to its manifesto to succeed

Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house of representatives, says the All Progressives Congress (APC) must be committed to its manifesto for it to succeed in governance. 

Gbajabiamila said members of the party must also not forget that they will answer for “what we have done with our time in government”.

A statement from Lanre Lasisi, the speaker’s spokesman, quoted him as saying this at the progressives youth conference organised by the APC in Abuja on Monday.

He described manifestoes as “statements of vision and vision is the foundation of all achievements.”

“For a nation such as ours to succeed, we must first define a common vision that will inspire us, bring us together, and provide the focus that allows us to persevere through the inevitable difficult times,” the speaker said.

“As is the case with all other contractual documents, the commitments contained in the party manifesto are the basis upon which the party’s record in government will be measured and its leaders will be assessed both in real-time and in the judgment of history.

“As it has been throughout history, so also will it be for us in the All Progressives Congress (APC) as we too will answer for what we have done with our time in government.

“If the manifesto of the party is merely a compendium of promises put together for electoral purposes without any consideration of the personnel and resources required to achieve them, then it is unlikely to succeed.”

Gbajabiamilar also said that APC’s survival would require a “deliberate and effective system of leadership” to select young people to be in charge of strategic positions in government.”

“As we recruit and train, we must also make sure that we elevate those who have been with us the longest, who fully embrace the principles of progressivism, who understand the vision of the progressive manifesto and who by their actions and antecedents have proven that they have the capacity to translate our manifesto into policies and practices for the good of our country and all our people,” he added.