Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, says the All Progressives Congress (APC) has remained the only party anchored on social democracy, social protection and social mobility, especially for the poor.
Related Articles
Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement in Abuja, said the vice president inaugurated the APC Legal Compliance Committee on Monday at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja.
The committee has responsibility for more than 1,400 federal and state elective positions in polls held in February and March.
The Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami, the Minister of State, Labour and Productivity, Mr Festus Keyamo, and the APC National Legal Adviser who is the Coordinator of the Committee, Mr Ahmad El-Marzuq, attended the event.
Osinbajo said that the committee was crucial to the achievement of the party’s electoral ambitions in the 2023 elections both at federal and state levels.
The vice president urged its members to be proactive and remain committed to this critical assignment.
“Ours is the only party anchored on social democracy, social protection, that is, social mobility for the poor, and justice for the wronged.
“I am, therefore, glad that we have here an assembly of very committed members of the party, who, by their calling as lawyers, will be able to offer tremendous value for the party through the protection of its interests at every step of this electoral process.
“Those of you that have worked with us in the build-up to the 2015 and the 2019 general elections know that the proactive approach we adopted, especially through the ear-on-the-ground work of the Presidential Legal Team, has provided us a crucial head-start in tackling some of the challenges that we were confronted with,” he said.
Osinbajo said that the party’s manifesto in 2014, 2015 and 2023 contained the most detailed social investment policy.
He said that in 2015 APC became the first government to make a budgetary provision of N500 billion for a comprehensive Social Investment Programme
“Feeding 9.5 million children in our Home-grown School Feeding Programme, providing jobs for 500,000 unemployed graduates through our N-Power programme.
“Many deployed to primary schools in the hinterland as teachers, others trained under the N-TECH, N-BUILD.
“Our Government Enterprise and Empowerment (GEEP) programme provided two million informal traders with small loans via its TraderMoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMoni schemes.
“We also built up the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme.
“Along with the World Bank and local communities we complied a register of the poorest Nigerians and began a programme of giving them a total of about N20,000 monthly per household and introduced livelihood support,” Osinbajo said.
The vice said though APC’s opponents criticised the party for providing money for the poor to do their business, the party remained committed to lifting the poor out of poverty.
Osinbajo recalled that the GEEP microcredit programmes, managed by the Bank of Industry (BOI), won several awards including the African Bankers Award twice, as well as getting, other global recognitions.
He said that the party remained committed to a progressive left-of-the-centre ideology.
Osinbajo added that despite global economic challenges, the APC administration under President Muhammadu Buhari had achieved much in the pursuit of this vision.
“Every person given a loan is properly documented on our electronic performance; they were given money by alerts on their phones, so all loans are trackable and the entire process is auditable.
“These are achievements known to even our detractors, though they admit so only behind closed doors.
“Knowing where we were in 2014, and the challenges we were able to overcome, and knowing the very likely danger of reversal of all that has been achieved by the Buhari administration, our governors in states, and our legislators at national and state levels, we cannot afford to be nonchalant.
“Rather, we have to be proactive,” he said.
The vice president listed the responsibilities of the committee to include ensuring that all internal structures of the party and external engagements of the party are conducted in accordance with established operating procedures and the law.
He said it also entailed insulating the campaign of the party at all levels against breaches of rules, regulations, guidelines, and laws by ensuring strict compliance thereof.
“And to develop compliance checklists and protocols, conduct training for campaign personnel, and prepare compliance reports for the party, among others,” he said.
Earlier in his remarks, Keyamo, while thanking the vice president for his commitment to the service of the party and nation, underscored the importance of the committee particularly in the forthcoming elections across the country.
He said that the task before the committee was huge but expressed confidence that with the support of the vice president and other stakeholders, it would succeed in delivering on its mandate before, during and after the general elections.
On his part, El-Marzuq said that the group was composed of carefully selected lawyers tasked with the provision of comprehensive legal services to the party during the electioneering period.
He said that members of the committee were prepared to serve in the different capacities assigned to them.