PDP govs demand transparency in revenue sharing

The Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum has called on the Federal Government to improve transparency in the allocation of revenue between the federal, state and local governments in the country.

This was part of the resolution reached at the end of the forum’s monthly meeting held in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital on Friday.

The governors, in the communique read by the Chairman of the forum and Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, expressed concern over the Federal Government’s failure to clearly distinguish between federal revenue and revenue that accrues to the federation.

The forum urged the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Accountant General of the Federation to strictly adhere to Section 162 of the Constitution, which outlines the principles of revenue sharing among the three tiers of government.

The governors accused the Accountant General of the Federation of acting in a manner suggesting a bias toward the Federal Government.

To further promote accountability, the forum called for the separation of the offices of the Accountant General of the Federation and the Accountant General of the Federal Government.

This, they said, would help to ensure that the federation’s revenue was managed independently and in line with constitutional provisions.

“The forum notes with concern, the refusal of the Federal Government to distinguish between the Federal Government of Nigeria’s revenue and revenue accruing to the federation which must be allocated in accordance with extant laws.

“We call on the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Accountant General of the Federation to be more transparent in obeying the law, particularly Section 162 (1) (2) (3). And equally, call on the Accountant General of the Federation to stop behaving like the Accountant General of the Federal Government and to exercise her role in line with the constitution.

“We call for the separation of the office of the Accountant General of the Federation and that of the Accountant General of the Federal Government of Nigeria,” the PDP governors said.

Furthermore, they expressed relief over the end of the #EndBadGovernance protests and commended PDP governors for their mature handling of the situation, which prevented hoodlums from hijacking the protests.

While reiterating the importance of peaceful protests as a fundamental right of citizens, the forum extended condolences to the families of those who lost their lives during the demonstrations and urged the Federal Government to ensure that those arrested during the protests receive fair and swift trials.

While criticising the Federal Government’s response to the protests, the forum accused the Federal Government of using blackmail instead of addressing the underlying economic and social issues.

It called on President Bola Tinubu to restrain his officials from engaging in blame games that unfairly target state governments.

On the political impasse in Rivers State, where court judgments have influenced the outcome of PDP congresses, the forum reaffirmed its support for Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubura, and urged the PDP National Working Committee to revisit the congresses to restore the governor’s rightful leadership position within the party.

Speaking on the upcoming governorship election in Edo State, the forum called on President Tinubu to remain neutral and stop making statements that seem as perceived attempts to compromise the election in favour of his party.

This is even as they condemned what they tagged as systematic intimidation of PDP supporters by the police in Edo State ahead of the September 21 governorship poll.