The Presidency on Tuesday insisted that the status quo remains on the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal and suspended Director-general of National Intelligence Agency, Ayo Oke, just as Acting President Yemi Osinbajo had declared.
This was disclosed in a press briefing marking the commencement of activities to showcase second anniversary of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration by the Special Adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina; Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu; and, the Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity in the offive of the Vice President, Laolu Akande.
Adesina said that Nigerians should wait for four years in order to properly assess the Buhari’s administration saying the All Progressives Congress (APC) has four years to deliver and not two years.
“The person that asked the question said there is a buzz in town, I am sure that you have not conducted a scientific survey that shows you that is a popular position. People can always expresses their opinions, there is liberty on that but you don’t have a scientific survey that has given you the percentage of people that believed that the APC has failed.
“The second point is that, when a government via a party is voted into office, it is voted for a four year term under our own democratic arrangement. When you have spent two years which is like a midterm, the first half of a game, you don’t then determined that it has succeeded or it has failed. No. You can be accused it be atomistic using a small part to determine the whole.
“You can’t write the report card of this administration when it is just hitting the half way mark that will not be fair. The term is four years and the promises are going to be stretched over that four year period. Like the Minister of Transportation said recently, APC did not promise to solve all the country’s problems in one year or two years.
“The mandate the party has is four years and it is pacing itself as it goes along and I am sure that by the end of those four years we will have a lot more to record. It is not by a sudden flight, it will not come by a snap of a finger but will the promises be fulfilled? Yes, I believe it will be fulfilled.
“This administration will take Nigeria far beyond how it met it. So if anybody says APC has failed just tell them it is too early in the day because it is a four year-term and this is just two years. You don’t reach definitive conclusions in two years,” he added.
On alleged coup plot, Adesina said: “The Army has spoken and let us take that position. What the Chief of Army Staff said was a routine warning that goes to military officers, don’t hobnob with politicians and the army has explained the position, let’s take that position and not stretch it beyond what the military has said because they are the ones that can give us the definitive position and they have spoken on it.”