Alleged Plot To Remove Tambuwal: Reps Move Against Deputy Speaker Adesuwa Tsan, and Abubakar Salihi — Nov 2, 2014 | 1 Comment he intrigues thrown up by the defection of speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Congress (APC) have continued, with lawmakers grouping to impeach the deputy speaker of the house, Hon Emeka Ihedioha. LEADERSHIP Sunday gathered that the group of lawmakers who are Tambuwal’s loyalists have decided to go against Ihedioha to stop him from delivering PDP’s plan to reconvene the house as part of proceedings to impeach Tambuwal. One of the lawmakers who spoke confidentially to LEADERSHIP Sunday said the impeachment motion against the deputy speaker has already been drafted. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the nature of the matter, said they were shocked to learn that Ihedioha had been directed by the party to reconvene the house this week. He disclosed that they have now “resolved that Ihedioha will be the first casualty if he dares to reconvene the house”. According to the lawmaker, this will be an avenue for many of them who have always wanted Ihedioha out to move against him, adding that Tambuwal had been the one protecting him from impeachment in the past. “He has been surviving because of Tambuwal’s protection. Many of us would have moved for his impeachment long ago, because he does not enjoy good relationship with members like Mr Speaker,” he stated. Speaking on members that have signified interest in the impeachment motion, he said he could not give an exact figure because people were still signing, but disclosed that many PDP members from the north and all APC members are in support of the motion. “Even members from his south-east zone are with us in this project, which makes it easy for us to get the 240 votes to impeach him,” he added. It has also emerged that all 205 PDP members in the house have been summoned to a meeting on Monday by the national chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Muazu. Part of the agenda to be discussed at the Monday meeting is the possibility of the members cutting short their recess to elect a speaker from the PDP. However, the APC had earlier issued a statement on Friday, alleging that the federal government is trying to induce members of the House of Representatives to sign a paper seeking to reconvene the house ahead of the December 3 adjourned date. The national publicity secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who signed the statement, said, “We have heard from the grapevine that the FG is inducing legislators with a view to reconvening the house, but this will amount to piling illegality upon illegality, since only a resolution by all principal officers of the house can reconvene the house.” Continuing, he said, “We cannot put anything beyond a government that will unlawfully withdraw the security details of the country’s number four citizen, who has not been removed as the speaker of the House of Representatives; simply because he decamped from the ruling party to the opposition. For, as long as he remains speaker, Rt Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal is entitled to all the statutory perks of his office.” APC accused the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan of ruling by vindictiveness, rather than in accordance with the rule of law. The party said despotism, arbitrariness and impunity are the watch words of the Jonathan-led administration; hence it has desecrated most national institutions, including the judiciary, and has now put the legislature in its cross hair. “The legislature is one of the last standing institutions after the onslaught of the ravaging Jonathan administration, which has nothing but contempt for the concept of the separation of powers, the rule of law and perception of the country by the international community. “For this government, it is power for the sake of power; not for the achievement of anything ennobling. That is why the police and SSS details of a man who remains the country’s number four can be removed without consideration to what the law says. That is why public funds will be used to induce lawmakers to sign for the reconvening of the house, when it is clear that only the principal officers, and not even the speaker alone, can reconvene the house before the adjourned date,” the party said, adding that it would not be surprised if the lawless, vindictive and predictable Jonathan-led administration will even prevent the speaker from accessing his residential quarters, offices, and even the planes in the official fleet for carrying out his official assignments. When LEADERSHIP Sunday sought the response of the deputy speaker on the matter, his press secretary, Oke Epia, declined making any comment. PDP has not seen anything yet, – Kwankwaso Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirant and Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has said that the PDP has seen nothing yet on what will continue to happen to the party before the 2015 elections. “PDP is a party of shameless people who see defection to their party as rightful, but to other parties as criminal. I do not think double standard is good for PDP and the country,” Kwankwaso said. In an interview with newsmen in his office, Governor Kwankwaso said, “PDP is the party that welcomes governors, senators and house members decamping to their party and celebrated it with champagne, even if it was during Ramadan.” Kwankwaso urged the electorate to vote PDP out of office come 2015, and send Mr President and his cohorts to their various villages. He rhetorically asked why the coincidence that he and President Goodluck Jonathan purchased the contest forms same date, attributing the coincidence as an indication that he and the President are going to slug it out in 2015, and that the President will be the loser. Kwankwaso as usual accused the federal government of not doing enough to end insurgency and stop the bloodshed in the north-eastern states of Nigeria, adding that the government lacked political will to tackle the threat of Boko Haram murderers. A staunch critic of the federal government, Kwankwaso explained that part of his foreign policy agenda would be providing security, health and to stabilise the economy for foreign nations and neighbouring countries to feel at home in Nigeria and feel free to relate with Nigeria and Nigerians. The governor also disputed the claim that people of the south-south region of Nigeria are happy with the present federal government, arguing that all they needed is a better leadership and not a corrupt regime that is presently in place in Aso Villa.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 10:05:51 +0000
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