The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Mr Dan Iwuanyanwu, says the directive from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to its members in the National Assembly, to block the 2014 budget as a means of forcing President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene in the crisis in Rivers State, is “very wrong”.
He stated that Nigeria’s democracy was still trying to build and that “APC as a political party should not hold Nigerians to ransom”.
Mr Iwuanyanwu explained that his party did not agree with such directive, citing factors that would be affected by such directive to include Education, payment of workers salaries and security.
He pointed out that the Nigerian government had just entered an agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and that the government would not be able to keep up with their payment, security and salaries of public workers he added as other factors that will affect these directive.
Speaking on Channels Television breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, Mr. Iwuanyanwu said that “there is no relationship between Rivers State, National Assembly and the budget” insisting that Nigeria’s economy will suffer if these directives are not resolved.
“Most Nigerians don’t trust APC because of the contradictions there-in” he said but stated that there were still some politicians with good characters. “There are still good people you can find in the APC”.
But on River crisis, he said that such crisis was becoming a peculiar with APC governed states. “Its is the same crisis that is happening in Ekiti State”.
He emphasized the need for the Rivers State crisis to be resolved, in order to avoid the military take over. The Labour Party leader stated that the Service Chiefs had already been appointed, all they needed was the screening and confirmation, he added.
“If you anger the military, what you are telling them to do is to consider if they are part and parcel of this democracy,” he stressed.
