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 is supreme and its interest is superior to that of its individual members.
Consequently, the APC leadership is meeting in a bid to re-establish 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… There can be no higher level of treachery, disloyalty and insincerity within any party”.
-Alh Lai Mohammed, National Publicity Secetary, APC
Tambuwal and Saraki
Unless you saw the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, gallantly defend the party’s position on national televisions, you would hardly believe that he indeed issued the statement, which excerpts I quoted above. It is a typical case of talking from both sides of the mouth.
It is easily recalled that the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN’s spokesman applauded when Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal beat Hon. Mulikat Akande-Adeola blue and black against the zoning formula and directive of the former ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP through ACN’s conspiracy with some ‘rebellious’ PDP lawmakers. It was all about Ahmed Bola Tinubu ensuring that the PDP did not have any rallying point in the South West and also to trigger internal discord. And indeed, the PDP and Jonathan’s administration never recovered from that blow.
Fast-forward to October 2015 when Tambuwal defected from the PDP to the APC. Again, hear Lai Mohammed: “I must say that this historic development means that our democracy is growing by the day and it is dynamic. On a more serious note, we welcome the defection of Tambuwal to APC. With this defection, APC has now taken the leadership of one arm of the national legislature. We think that having the head of the legislature from the opposition party makes for a balanced setting in government and it’s good for democracy”.
Citing the example of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP) accord in which the ruling party, the NPN, shared the leadership of both chambers of the National Assembly, NASS, he enthused: “When the accord concordia broke down, the then Speaker, Chief Edwin Umezoke, did not relinquish his position. Those who are saying that this has not happened before and that Tambuwal should step aside as speaker, do not have the backing of history and the constitution”.
Today, the former Minority Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila is also crying foul. Hear him on Tambuwal’s defection: “We welcome and applaud the speaker’s decision… We are proud to acknowledge that the speaker remains not only a member of the House of Representatives but also its speaker. This position is consistent with the law and practice in a presidential system of government and Nigeria is no different. For the avoidance of doubt, the constitution requires only that the speaker or deputy speaker of the House of Representatives shall be elected by members of that House from among themselves. As a caucus, we pledge our continued support to the current leadership of the House of Representatives”.
Also, speaking at the APC Special Convention on October 29, 2015, the now incumbent President praised Hon. Tambuwal to the high heavens for defecting to APC and smartly retaining his office by shutting down House. Buhari’s exact words: “We will like to thank Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal for what he did yesterday. We were overwhelmed. Taking such a remarkable risk and sending everybody on holidays till December is an achievement”.
In view of all these, one wonders what moral grounds the APC cries blue murder over the successful democratic revolution that took place at the NASS on June 9 against impunity. It is an incident that has further bared the ugly under belly.
--Vanguard
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