APC Recants, Says Buhari Never Promised to do Anything in 100 Days

All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that President Muhammadu Buhari-led government, never promised "to do anything" in his first 100 days in office.

Buhari had while campaigning for the post published a public letter titled ‘my covenant’. The letter contained particulars what Nigerians should expect from his first 100 days in office.

But Alhaji Lai Mohammed, spokesman for the party, in an interview on Channels TV, insisted that it was too early to judge the administration of President Buhari based on about 40 out of 1,000 appointments made so far.

According to Mohammed, “When you’re running a campaign, all kinds of literature will emerge with all sorts of volunteer groups, but I came here and I said there are only just two documents that you can judge a party with, that is the constitution of the party and the manifesto of the party; those are the only two documents that are registered with INEC and for which you can hold a party accountable for."

The APC spokesman also said the administration could not be judged by series of activities within just 100 days of its inauguration.

“In the course of electioneering, the presidential campaign had so many centres of public communication which, for whatever reason, were on the loose.

“There is a certain document tagged ‘100 Things Buhari will do in 100 Days’ and the other: ‘My Covenant with Nigerians.’

“Both pamphlet bore the authorised party logo but as the director of media and communications in that campaign, I did not fund or authorise any of those. I can equally bet my last kobo that candidate Buhari did not see or authorise those publications," he said.

He added further that the publications had raised expectations unnecessarily, with the idea that as president, "Buhari will wave his hand and all the problems that the country faces – insecurity, corruption, unemployment, poor infrastructure – would go away.”

He also dismissed reports that some members of the party were disappointed as a result of the appointments made by the president, insisting that the party and its members were happy about them.

He disagreed with dissenting opinions on the statement of the national chairman of the party, John Oyegun, that APC would be more involved in other appointments of the president.

According to Lai Mohammed, what Oyegun said was what "the appointments were that of personal staff of the president. It’s too early to make a judgment, you do not take part to be the whole. Future appointments will be different, but these are personal staff.”

Mohammed said “I have been a chief of staff, and as the chief of staff, I was the first person the governor saw in the morning and the last he saw at night, almost on a daily basis.

“I was the link between the governor’s personal and public life. You can’t choose anybody from any party for that kind of job. There must be a relationship between you and your principal, which must be personal.”

He was of the opinion that calculations by Nigerians on who the president would appoint was wrong, adding that there should be no fixation on any particular office going to any particular part of the country.

"The fact that it went to a particular part of the country in the previous administration does not mean it will go there in this present administration.

“What we should focus on is the assurance from the government that in the fullness of time, no part of this country will feel marginalised by the kind of appointments that would be made,” he said.

He also said the party would not be stampeded by any opinion to take a decision which clearly did not fit into its vision.