Governor Peter Mbah on Wednesday hosted governors of PDP Governors’ Forum at the Government House, Enugu......READ THE FULL STORY>>.....READ THE FULL STORY>>
The aim of the meeting was to re-energize themselves, share ideas, and strategise on how to move their party and nation forward, Mbah said.
Below are the resolutions of the meeting:
COMMUNIQUE ISSUED BY THE PDP GOVERNORS’ FORUM AT THE END OF ITS MEETING IN ENUGU, ENUGU STATE ON WEDNESDAY, 17TH JULY 2024.
The PDP Governors’ Forum under the leadership of H.E. Governor Bala A. Mohammed, CON, held a meeting at the Enugu State Government House, Enugu, on Wednesday, July 17, 2024.
2. The meeting deliberated on a wide range of issues that border on our critical national interest, the state of our party particularly the forthcoming congress, the unprecedented7 hardship faced by majority of Nigerians as a result of the dismal performance of the APC-led Federal Government, the minimum wage negotiations, and the recurring issue of inter-governmental relations with special reference to local government autonomy and funding.
3. Following exhaustive discussions and consultations, the meeting resolved as7 follows:
i. UPCOMING PARTY CONGRESSES
a. In the spirit of the founding fathers of our great party who adopted internal democracy as the fundamental principle on which our party was built, the congresses leading to the election of party leaders, at the various tiers, must be all-inclusive, transparent, fair and in strict compliance with the constitution of the party.
b. To ensure the successful conduct of the congresses across the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
ii. OFF SEASON ELECTIONS
On the off season elections in Edo and Ondo, the forum:
a. Admonishes all the parties to the elections to ensure that campaigns are issues-based, violence-free and in strict compliance with the provisions of the electoral act.
b. Urges the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to provide a level playing field that guarantees transparent, fair and unimpeachable elections as any act of bias will be totally resisted.
c. Urges Mr. President to show leadership as a true democrat by refraining from making any statement suggestive of political interference in the entire process.
iii. THE ECONOMY
The Forum notes with dismay and grave concern the mismanagement of the economy by the APC-led Federal Government.
iv. MINIMUM WAGE NEGOTIATIONS
The minimum wage negotiations are becoming unduly protracted. In the face of the attendant unprecedented hardship and impoverishment of majority of our people, the Forum resolves as follows:
a. That Labour’s demand for a substantial salary raise is eminently justified and therefore commands the total support of the Forum
b. While the Forum fully supports Labour’s demand, agreement must take into consideration the ability to pay by the local government, sub-national and federal government.
b. While negotiations are ongoing, we appeal for restraint in both utterances and actions that could lead to the complete breakdown of law and order and ultimately, the collapse of the economy.
v. SUPREME COURT RULING ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT ALLOCATION
a. The Forum believes in the efficacy of the local government system which ensures that governance is brought closer to the people as provided for in the constitution.
b. Will continue to support the autonomy of the Local Governments as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
c. Forum holds the Supreme Court in the highest esteem, and is committed to obedience to court orders. However, the Forum urges that implementation of the court decision must be done in a manner that does not create a trust deficit between the federal governments and sub-national governments while also ensuring that the system does not suffer.
