Buhari, PDP okay Saraki, Dogara, APC rejects winners
Buhari
The emergence yesterday of new leaders of the National Assembly has elicited mixed reactions from President Muhammadu Buhari, All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
A statement issued by Buhari’s Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Femi Adesina said the president “would rather that the process of electing the leaders as initiated and concluded by the APC had been followed. Nonetheless the President took the view that a constitutional process has somewhat occurred.”
According to Adesina, “President Buhari had said in an earlier statement that he did not have any preferred candidate for the Senate and the House of Representatives, and that he was willing to work with whoever the lawmakers elected.
That sentiment still stands. Though he would have preferred the new leaders to have emerged through the process established by the party”.
Adesina stressed that the stability of our constitutional order and overall interest of the common man were uppermost on the President’s mind, as far as the National Assembly elections were concerned.
But Buhari’s party, APC, is mulling a punitive action against the newly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and the new Senate President, Bukola Saraki for allegedly defying its order not to contest for the leadership of the National Assembly.
In a statement by the party’s spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed yesterday, APC described as totally unacceptable and the highest level of indiscipline and treachery the conduct of Saraki and Dogara. The party hinted that it will not lie the matter low as it would consider punitive action against the duo. ‘
’Senator Bukola and Hon. Dogara are not the candidates of the APC and a majority of its National Assembly members-elect for the positions of Senate President and House Speaker.
The party duly met and conducted a straw poll and clear candidates emerged for the posts of Senate President, Deputy Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, supported by a majority of all Senators-elect and members-elect of the House of Representatives. All National Assembly members-elect who emerged on the platform of the party are bound by that decision.
The party is supreme and its interest is superior to that of its individual members. ‘’Consequently, the APC leadership is meeting in a bid to reestablish discipline in the party and to mete out the necessary sanctions to all those involved in what is nothing but a monumental act of indiscipline and betrayal to subject the party to ridicule and create obstacles for the new administration, ‘’ APC said.
The party decried “a situation in which some people, based on nothing but inordinate ambition and lack of discipline and loyalty, will enter into an unholy alliance with the very same people whom the party and indeed the entire country worked hard to replace and sell out the hard won victory of the Party.
‘’There can be no higher level of treachery, disloyalty and insincerity within any party,’’ the party said, vowing to resolve the matter using all constitutional and legal means available to it.
Meanwhile, the PDP has congratulated Saraki, his Deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu as well as the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dogara, noting that their elections underscore the fact that no section of the country should be neglected on national issues.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement yesterday described the development in both chambers of the National Assembly as “victory for democracy and triumph of the time-honored value of the PDP that every zone and segment of the country must at all times be given a sense of belonging in governance.”
The PDP assured that it would continue to partner with like minds in other political parties and groups to ensure that the nation’s democracy, which it nurtured in the last 16 years is sustained in the overall interest of the Nigerian people. “What is paramount to the PDP is the sustenance of our democracy and the wellbeing of our people, irrespective of creed, class or ethnicity.
The PDP is therefore willing and ready to partner with like-minded individuals in other political parties and groups to sustain our democracy, ensure good governance and promote the unity and stability of our dear nation. Nigeria as a nation belongs to all of us. Its interest therefore must be put over and above personal, partisan or group interests at all times,” the opposition party said.
The statement also commended the PDP Acting National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus for successfully galvanizing PDP members in both chambers of the National Assembly, which contributed to the peaceful conduct of the elections.
Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day of the week. Stay informed with the Guardian’s leading coverage of Nigerian and world news, business, technology and sports.
2 Comments
Ofcourse President Buhari has said that all along. he would work with whoever emerges and he resisted being dragged into the process. He is focused on his job and we need that. He does not need to be distracted by the “fight within green eagles on who is captain”, which is what this is akin to. As for PDP, who woul dnot be OK as the major actor in the well planned and executed coup?
Let APC leadership do their work to hold the party.
As for the House of Rep – it could be said that democracy was in action, as all members were present.
As for the senate, there was treachery involved. 50 members – all APC were absent, led to believe there was a meeting that involved Saraki and the President to discuss APC approach to how they would conduct themselves; Even as Saraki had concluded plans with PDP overnight for how things would go the PDP-way. people have called it politics, I call it treachery and deceptions. What in Nigerian speak is what we call “Jamba”. Saraki Mesu Jamba. He sold out APC’s majority to PDP. By not waiting for the 50 members of APC to be present and his nocturnal planning with PDP to sell the mandate of his party, he committed the party equivalence of treason. He may well have emerged as Senate President with all APC members present, however it is obvious that his deputy would have been APC man and I hear Senate Mark is now majority leader – which actually ridicules the whole charade, how can he be the leader of the majority (APC has 59 members) and he is member of PDP with 49 members?
“When it is said to them do not spread mischief in the land, nay they say we are only peace makers. When they meet members of the party of those who do good, they say we are with you and when they meet fellow evildoers they say, don’t mind the fools we are definitely with you.”. The case of Saraki Jnr. reminds me of a story of old – A pious man was riding his horse, as he passes the house of God he decided to go in to offer some voluntary prayers. So he alighted from his horse, tied it down and gave his fine leather horse whip (those were good possessions of yore) to a boy he saw there to hold for him based on agreement. He came out and the boy and the horse whip were gone – so he called on someone else and gave him two silver coins and said to him go to the market, you’d see one boy who is selling a horse whip, buy it for 2 silver coins and bring it back to me. When the good samaritan returned with the horse whip, he told him the story of what just happened and concluded, God has meant that he will have 2 silver coins today. I was going to tip him 2 silver coins, if he had been truthful that would have been praiseworthy and he would have earned good for himself. He still got his 2 silver coins and now incurred the sin of stealing and it’s damnations.
There is enough lesson in this story for Senators Saraki, Ikweremadu, David Mark and all Senators, as well as President Buhari, APC, PDP and All Nigerians. What is your take on the lessons that can be deduced from this story, for all parties involved (in the disenfranchisement of majority of APC senators by a PDP-plot and it’s members to elect Saraki as Senate President and a PDP person as his deputy)?
I’d tell you what I think APC leadership (not the President – we want him focused on the job we hired him to do), should do based on the above story- Reverse the coup at the senate. This may be how, for being involved in the coup to give the majority mandate to PDP at the senate, which is the party-equivalent of treason, all APC-senators involved should be suspended, INEC petitioned for poll fraud (since they were not senators yet, but senators-elect on the platform of APC) and other candidates fielded to represent their constituencies. If they like, let them go and contest as PDP and then we’d see who wins and returns to the senate as PDP.
Over to you – what do you think the major actors and stakeholders mentioned above should do?
As of the House of Rep – There was an election, so Buhari would be OK with it
As for the Senate – There was selection & rigging and the clerk has some explaining to do…, 51 APC Senator-elect were absent, as well as, at least PDP-Senator elect Ben Bruce (I imagine there are more than one …see the clip) were also absent. See the clip and think for yourself…take a listen to Ben Bruce https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZrGDULpEZQ&feature=youtu.be
We will review and take appropriate action.