Former Information Minister and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Tony Momoh said that the party was unlucky to have been elected at a time the economy was failing.
“We came in crippled by a failing economy,” he said.
However, Momoh, who was National Chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), one of the “legacy parties” which merged to form APC, said that the ruling party was up to the task of fulfilling its campaign promises to Nigerians.
Recall that the politician had in 2016 urged Nigerians to “stone“ the APC government officials if the party failed to deliver on its promised “change” within two years.
Speaking with Saturday Vanguard, Momoh said that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government has shown a commitment to its three campaign pillars: ensuring security, fighting corruption and reworking the economy.
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Asked if APC has lived up to expectations since gaining power in 2015, Momoh answered in the affirmative.
He added, “As of the time they came, everybody believed that we had a boom in the economy where oil sold for $100 per barrel but immediately we came in, you saw what happened. We were welcomed by a recession in which the price of crude went below $50.
“Anybody who is in government knows that governance is based on a budget and the budget is composed of two things; what you spend on running the government and what you spend on developing facilities.
“In other words, unless you have the money, which is built up through taxation and other resources, you cannot achieve what you set out to achieve.”
Momoh called for a drastic reduction in the cost of governance, including returning to a unicameral legislature.