BEVERLY HILLS, September 5, (THEWILL) – Convener and National Leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, Chief Edwin Clark, has stated that Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State is very rude for alleging that persons calling for the restructuring of the country are opportunists.
The former Federal Commissioner for Information stated this in an interview with Vanguard while berating the All Progressives Congress, APC, for setting up a committee headed by El-Rufai with a mandate to authenticate the meaning of restructuring.
He stressed that it was insulting to the sensitivities of Nigerians for the ruling party to pretend not to know the meaning of restructuring, “when they deliberately put it in their manifesto before the last election”.
Clark stated that it was unflatering for the APC to go to the extent of setting up a committee under El-Rufai when he, “does not believe in restructuring, who insulted eminent Nigerians, branding them opportunists for speaking their minds on restructuring”.
According to the Ijaw Leader, “Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, spoke his mind on restructuring. What does he want in Nigeria? Can somebody say Gowon is an opportunist, somebody who ruled this country for nine years and is living a very simple life? What does he want? He is now in his 80s.
“The same thing about former Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida. What does he want from anybody? He spoke his mind, he said this country needs restructuring, devolution of power. He spelt them out, he did not just say restructuring, he knew what he was saying and even if he never believed in it before, now that he believes in it, he has come out with it.
“Same with the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. He has been a champion of restructuring, has been saying it, holding lectures on it and never faltered. Everything Atiku is talking about restructuring is what we recommended at the 2014 National Conference.
“All Atiku is saying is that we want to reorganize the structure of this country because of the future, the economy of this country and to move Nigeria forward.
“So why should a young man as El Rufai say that those talking about restructuring are opportunists? He is very rude; Gen Gowon could be his father. For anybody in this country to say that he does not understand what restructuring means is an insult to Nigeria and those who believe in it.
‘’I can understand why El Rufai is insulting people because he has his grouse with the former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Abubakar.
“But the young man should learn a lesson, that you are governor of a state is not all in all.”
