ABUJA–A showdown between some
incoming members of the House of Representatives elected on the platform of All
Progressives Congress, APC and the national leadership of the party is erupt on
Thursday. This is consequent upon the insistence of some party officials to
impose their preferred choices of candidates for senate presidency and
speakership of the House in the soon-to-be inaugurated 8th National Assembly.
Incidentally, the party had
scheduled a meeting of all Senators-elect and House members-elect tomorrow
probably to lobby them to support certain candidates for the positions. It will
be recalled that in an attempt to garner support for candidates, the party
penultimate week held two separate retreats for the senators-elect and House
Members-elect.
But to the chagrin of many party
leaders, especially a heavyweight from south west who seems hell-bent on
delivering his candidates at all costs, members repudiated every entreaty made
to them to give their support. The outcome however prompted the announcement of
Senators Ahmed Lawan (Yobe State) and George Akume (Benue State) by senate
unity forum as its candidates for Senate president and Deputy senate president
respectively
Similarly, Hon. Mohammed Mongonu
(Borno) who earlier nurtured ambition for the speakership of the House also
stepped down Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila(Lagos State). Both Lawan and Gbajabiamila
are seen in some quarters as the candidates of the APC national leader,
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for the offices though they have roundly denied to be
sponsored by Tinubu.
Essentially, Lawan who hails from
North east geopolitical is understood to be Tinubu’s game of dislodging Hon.
Yakubu Dogara (Bauchi State) whom the odds for now favour for the speakership
of the House. Remarkably, the President Mohammadu Buhari had repeatedly
announced his distance backing anyone for the positions, saying he would work
with anyone that emerges.
Meanwhile, having failed to secure
the support of many incoming parliamentarians, the party on Tuesday slated
another meeting of all elected National Assembly members of the party for
Thursday for the obvious reason of settling the scores between the federal
lawmakers before the inauguration of 8th National Assembly early next week.
But in a swift reaction to the
notice of the all-inclusive meeting on Thursday, some members-elect of the
party under the aegis of 8th Assembly Consolidation Group have warned the party
leadership to desist from acts capable of rocking the party early. In a
statement signed by the members which included Ahman Aliyu Pategi, Zakari
Mohammed, Babangida Ibrahim Mahuta, Aishat Dukku, Haliru Jika and Jagaba Adams
Jagaba reminded the party leadership of President Buhari’s stand on the liberty
of the Assembly to choose their leaders.
Why congratulating the president and
Vice president, professor Yemi Osibanjo on their successful swearing in last
Friday, they said that any attempt by the party leadership to subvert the will
of the majority of the members would be resisted. Titled ” 8th Assembly
Consolidation Group, Search for a Speaker, Our Stand”, the statement read in
full.
“The above named group of the 8th
Assembly. Wishes to congratulate our President Mohammadu Buhari and his Vice,
Professor Yemi Osibanjo on their well deserved Inauguration and swearing in as
the number one and number two citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
respectively.
“We wish them a progressive tenure of office in their bid to tackle the muIti facetal development challenges of our dear Nation.
“We wish them a progressive tenure of office in their bid to tackle the muIti facetal development challenges of our dear Nation.
“We wish to draw the attention of
our great party, the All Progressive Congress (A.P.C.) and Nigerians to certain
unethical and un-democratic moves by some desperate party leaders who are
bent on subverting the laid down procedure on the emergence of the Speaker of
the 8th Assembly in accordance to the House Standing Orders and the
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We must commend Mr President,
Mohammadu Buhari, our Leader and Father of the Nation for his statesmanship and
principled stand that the business of the National Assembly Leadership should
be the soul responsibility of Senators and Members who are at liberty to
regulate and throw up their leaders according to the Constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria which he swore to protect.
“It is however disturbing that
certain individuals are poised on disregarding the Presidential declaration and
forging ahead to manipulate our party to conduct an unconstitutional shadow
election for Speakership which is alien to the Constitution and all
conventional parliamentary practices. “The idea is to force a preferred
candidate on the party hierarchy and members via intimidation and financial
inducements by a certain party leader.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the APC
is a party built on the principle of change. We cannot allow our young party to
be short changed by selfish power mongers who would stop at nothing to throw
the collective sweat of Nigerians invested in the APC to ruins and waste.
Nigerians deserve a better deal. “Any leadership that is orchestrated outside
the hallow chambers is not only an aberration but an insult to our cherished
parliamentary tradition and we will be seen as a laughing stock before the
developed democracies which we’re copying.
“Finally, we want to reiterate that
the 8th Assembly Consolidation Group would resist any attempt to abuse our
collective psyche by conducting our affairs outside the hallow chambers. We
would continue to be committed to the ideals of our party, the APC and the administration
of President Mohammadu Buhari.”
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