• Defections won't halt our winning streak, says
APC
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday
suffered another major setback following the defection of the Sokoto State
Governor, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Perhaps, more dramatic was the resignation of the National
Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, and his defection to
the PDP.
Tambuwal defected along with the Speaker of the state House
of Assembly, Alhaji Salihu Maidaji, and 17 other members of the assembly.
Reacting swiftly to the gale of defections yesterday, the APC
said it won’t stop the party from maintaining a winning streak.
A statement issued by the Deputy National Publicity
Secretary, Yekini Nabene, said the ruling party "is neither distracted nor
surprised by the defection of Senate President Bukola Saraki; Governors Abdulfatah
Ahmed and Tambuwal of Kwara and Sokoto States; Abdullahi; and others from the
party."
Addressing party supporters at the Government House in
Sokoto, Tambuwal said his decision to leave the APC was because President
Muhammadu Buhari has failed to meet the yearnings of Nigerians.
The governor also predicated his decision on Buhari’s
inability to tackle insecurity and improve the living conditions of Nigerians.
He maintained that majority of Nigerians are currently facing
hardship, frustration and penury as a result of the ineptitude of the present
administration.
Tambuwal recalled that he left the PDP for APC in
2014 as a result of bad governance, adding that not much has changed in the
last three years.
"We left PDP as a result of bad governance to
join APC but today, not much has been achieved. Things are really getting
worse.
"Therefore, with other leaders, we decided to
form a new force to fine-tune and restructure the polity for a better Nigeria.
"The situation of our country, especially the
economy and security, is getting worse. People are being killed in Zamfara
State on a daily basis. The situation of the common man is very precarious.
“That is why we decided to join forces with other
progressive Nigerians to get a new competent leadership that can deliver the
goods and rescue the country from the current hardship," he said.
The governor posited that the people of Sokoto State have not
benefited from any single project initiated by the federal government in the
last three years.
"As you all can testify, Sokoto State has not
benefited from any single federal government project in the last three years.
“So, the people of the state are fed up with the
current situation, and therefore called on us to intervene and dump the
APC," he averred.
In his remarks, a prominent politician in the state, Alhaji
Isa Bajini, said President Buhari has failed to tackle insecurity, while the
fight against corruption has only been against perceived opponents.
He stated that the APC-led federal government has
not done anything in terms of provision of infrastructural projects for the
benefit of the people of the state.
According to him, "We have nothing to show for
supporting APC in the last three years. So, we have no other option than to
leave the party because the people have not benefited from any single project
from the federal government.
"We are therefore calling for Tambuwal to come
out and fight for us."
APC's Spokesman, Abdullahi Quits Party
More dramatic yesterday was the resignation of the
National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Abdullahi, from the party.
Abdullahi, whose political family in Kwara State led
by Senate President, Bukola Saraki, had defected to the PDP on Tuesday, tried
to buy time before finally turning in his resignation letter.
In a statement made public yesterday morning, he said he
found distasteful the move by the party leadership to undermine his office as
the spokesman of the party.
He also frowned at what he described as "an unlawful
dissolution of the validly elected party executive in Kwara State," saying
it amounts to double standard for a party that preaches change.
According to Abdullahi's statement, "In the last few
days, I have had to endure the flagrant usurpation of my role as the spokesman
of the party in a manner that I consider unbefitting of a ruling party and
inconsistent with my ethical standards.
"I have served the APC honestly and to the best of my
ability, and when I stood for and won my election at the last convention it was
a keen desire to continue to do so. However, in a situation whereby my loyalty
is constantly brought into question; my subordinates deployed to subvert my
office; and my views constantly second-guessed on the basis of my political
affiliation, it has become imperative for me to review my position," he
said.
Abdullahi said he was disappointed by the action of
the leadership of the APC with regard to the dissolution of party executives in
his home state by failing to get his input.
"Since assuming office as the spokesman of the
party, I have tried to set a new template for public political communications
in a way that departs from the vulgar abuse and verbal aggression of the recent
past, where cheap lies and crude propaganda were normalised as politics, and
even celebrated as measures of competence.
Unfortunately, those who felt I was not ‘forceful
enough’ framed my ethical disposition as evidence of a lack of commitment to
the party.
"The unlawful dissolution of the validly
elected party executive in Kwara State earlier in the week was only another
phase in the unrelenting assault I have had to endure. As a national officer of
the party, who sits in that committee, courtesy should demand that my views be
sought on a matter that concerns my state and in which I am directly involved.
That action was, to say the least, disrespectful.
"Quite recently, we all took the oath to do
justice to all and not allow personal interests to interfere with our official
responsibilities. With this obviously presumptuous action, and the decision to
appoint as chairman of caretaker committee, the same man who had emerged as the
chairman from the parallel congress in my state, the National Working Committee
(NWC) has taken sides, violated its oath of office and subverted its own credibility
as an impartial arbiter. Yet, these are the same people that have continued to
insinuate that others are serving interests of others than those of the party.
"Politics is local, and my personal stake in
the issue of Kwara State makes it incongruous for me to continue to sit as part
of the working committee of the party. Clearly, I cannot continue to function
as the spokesman of a party whose expectations of that role is incompatible
with my personal principles. In the same vein, I can no longer justify to
myself that I should remain in a party, which has now made it clear to the
world that the political group that I belong is no longer wanted, and which has
hung my membership of that group as an albatross around my neck."
Sokoto Speaker, 17 Others Dump APC
Also, along with the Speaker of the Sokoto State
House of Assembly, Maidaji, and 17 other members, the Deputy Speaker of the assembly,
Abubakar Magaji, and the Assembly Leader, Hon. Garba Bello Yabo, also dumped
the APC.
However, 12 other lawmakers remain in the APC, and
reaffirmed their commitment and loyalty to President Buhari.
The Speaker of the assembly made the announcement
during the plenary session at the assembly complex in Sokoto on yesterday.
He said 18 members of the assembly had resolved to leave the
APC following internal division and acrimony bedeviling the party in many
states of the federation.
Maidaji stated that the members, therefore, defected
to the PDP as a result of lack of unity and cohesion in the ruling party.
He said: "We are all aware that all efforts to
bring sanity into the APC and unite the different groups had proved abortive.
"These ugly developments plunged the APC into
crisis with litigations in several states of the federation thereby putting the
party in a serious danger leading to mass defection at the National Assembly.
“The election is around the corner and we stand in
danger if we remain in a party that is divided against itself."
He added that their defection was in line with
section 109(1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
Speaking with journalists shortly after the plenary, the
member representing Gudu constituency in the assembly, Alhaji Sani Yakubu, who
spoke on behalf of the other 11 lawmakers, stressed that they resolved to
remain in the APC and work towards Buhari's re-election in 2019.
"We the 12 members of the assembly wish to
categorically inform the public that we still remain in the APC, the party we
were elected on its platform to represent people of our various constituencies.
"We wish to reiterate our loyalty to the
APC-led government under President Buhari," Yakubu stated.
Kwara Assembly Speaker, 23 Others Defect to PDP
Meanwhile, following the defection of Saraki to the
PDP last Tuesday, the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Dr. Ali
Ahmad, and 23 other members of the assembly yesterday also defected to the PDP.
But the only APC lawmaker representing Ojomu/Baligun
state constituency, Hon. Saheed Popoola, who refused to follow the defected
lawmakers to the PDP, threatened to take the assembly to court over fraud
allegations levelled against him.
Speaking on the floor of the House of Assembly in
Ilorin from a speech he personally signed, the Speaker said the move was
permitted by the provisions of Section 109 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution as
amended.
Ahmad, who said he heaved a sigh of relief as he and
other members of the assembly dumped APC for good, added that he wished he was
never a member of the party.
Accordingly, he said: "As politicians, who allow
the interests and welfare of their constituents to occupy the front seats, wide
consultations have been made with people at the grassroots, and in all of
these, there’s indication that our people have become disillusioned with our
continuous membership of the APC and have spoken loud and clear enough in one
voice that they no longer wish to continue to be strange bedfellows in that
party where non-performance, injustice and impunity are the orders of the day.
Let it be on record that I too have joined the PDP.”
The Speaker, who lamented experiences while in APC, said:
"Unarguably, the intrigues and power play that birthed the long drawn
legal battle with key members of the APC over fathom allegations coupled with
the arbitrary use of government institutions such as the police and
anti-corruption agencies for harassment and intimidation of perceived opponents
of people in power since APC assumed power, has dealt a heavy blow to
governance. This act of illegality has turned the once great Nigeria to object
of ridicule among the comity of nations.
"With the current unprecedented spate of disobedience to
court rulings, the present administration at the national level has redefined
governance as government of the cabal and for the cabal, thereby throwing the
rule of law, the bedrock of democracy, to the dogs."
However, the only APC lawmaker in the state House of
Assembly, Popoola, who refused to join others in the PDP, threatened to take
legal action against the assembly over allegations of fraud levelled against
him.
Defections Won't Halt Our Winning Streak, Says APC
Reacting to all the defections so far, the APC said they
won’t stop it from maintaining a winning streak.
A statement issued by the Deputy National Publicity
Secretary, Yekini Nabene, said the ruling party was neither distracted nor
surprised by the defection of Saraki, Ahmed, Tambuwal, Abdullahi and others
from the party.
The party said while it believed that the defectors have the
right and freedom to pursue their political ambitions wherever they desired, it
expects them to ensure that take lessons learnt from APC to wherever they go.
"Our advice and hope is that those who have
left would also have the courage to inspire in their respective political
environments the atmosphere of unencumbered freedom created by the APC, which
enabled them to leave without let or hindrance," he said.
While reacting to the string of defections that hit
it in recent times, APC said it would continue the winning streak in all
elections this year, and beyond.
In the statement, the party also saluted the courage
exhibited by the defectors to come openly and declare where they belonged.
It said: “APC is a party founded and run on the principles
of freedom, sincerity and forthrightness. Saraki and the others have the
freedom of association and the right to pursue their political ambitions
wherever they deem it fit.
"As a party, our attention is on the matter at
hand-the 2019 general election. We are united and focused with an eye to the continuation
of our winning streak in all elections this year, next year and beyond.
"To our members in Kwara, Sokoto and the other
states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), remain
steadfast and courageous.”
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