Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has said he will decongest the exclusive and concurrent lists in the constitution as part of his plan to restructure the country.
Atiku, who disclosed this to Punch through his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, also said the report of the 2015 Constitutional Conference on restructuring would be looked into by relevant stakeholders, adding that appropriate decision that would be of national interest, would be taken.
According to him, it is not for one person to dictate that the report must be adopted or not.
Atiku said, “The autonomy of the states and local governments, both of which are closer to their people than the central government in Abuja, will result in more effective decisions that would be more potent and impactful in terms of results and effects.”
Explaining the modalities for his planned restructuring, the former Vice President stated that the Federal Government would retain the role of providing the required direction for the economy, defence and national security, internal law and order, currency, international affairs and foreign policy, customs, citizenship and immigration, firearms and related matters.
He said matters relating internal security, police, law and order, minerals and mines, land and environment as well as railways, transport and communication would be devolved to the concurrent list.
Atiku added that local governments would assume its constitutional status as an independent tier of government.
Meanwhile, his wife, Titi, and some leaders of the PDP groups, on Saturday, accused the President Buhari-led administration of harassing and intimidating opposition members.
Speaking in separate interviews during the inauguration of Women Pathfinders Initiatives for Atiku/Obi in Abuja, they also alleged that Buhari’s government was stinking with corruption.
Atiku, who was represented by her personal assistant, Alhaji Abdulrazaq Garba, accused some Buhari’s government’s officials of being enmeshed in corruption. She added that the government was allegedly shielding corrupt people.
But the Federal Government said the allegations of the PDP members against the government were false and of no consequence, adding that Buhari was not intimidating the opposition.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a telephone interview, accused the PDP members of engaging in blackmail, adding that Buhari’s government was neither corrupt nor shielding corrupt people.
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