BETWEEN TAMBUWAL’S ‘DAY OF MOURNING’ AND PDP’S RALLY Category: Inside politics Published on Thursday, 13 March 2014 05:02 Written by Musa Abdullahi Krishi Hits: 12439 View Comments What is the implication of the absence of Speaker Aminu Tambuwal from the PDP North West rally in Kaduna, and what effect would his declaration of the day as a ‘day of mourning’ have on emphasising the behaviour of government towards the security challenges in the country? As President Goodluck Jonathan and other leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) converged on Kaduna, Tuesday, for the North West zonal rally of the party, leaders of the party from the zone were well represented. As the rally commenced in the morning, it proved to be a roll call of who is who in the party in the country as well as in the zone as, apart from President Jonathan, Vice President Namadi Sambo was there, the PDP national chairman, Ahmadu Adamu Muazu was there, chairman of the PDP Governor’s Forum, Godswill Akpabio was there as well as the BOT chairman, Tony Anenih, state governors on the platform of the party like Sule Lamido, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, Saidu Dakingari and the deputy governor of Sokoto State, Mukhtari Shagari were there, while there were also others like the vice chairman of the zone, Ibrahim Kazaure and former acting national chairman, Dr Bello Haliru. But the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who is from the zone, and who was to have been next to the vice president in terms of zonal hierarchy was conspicuously absent from the event. Former minister of sports, Bolaji Abdullahi was recently relieved of his appointment on account of a rally which he did not fully participate in Ilorin, Kwara State, hence every member of the PDP is supposed to take such rallies seriously. Initially many thought the speaker had travelled out of the country, but it was later discovered that not only was he in the country but was hale and hearty holding sessions in the House. The suspicion that Tambuwal may have chosen to distance himself from a PDP gathering to under score the point that he was not comfortable in a PDP gathering and that his heart lies more with the All Progressives Congress (APC) resurfaced. Tambuwal who was not unaware of the suspicion, however, chose the reconvening of plenary of the House that day, to score a point. He explained to the House members why he chose to be with them on a day he was supposed to be with the President and other big wigs of the party in Kaduna that his mind is more on the insecurity problems facing the nation. He stressed that the security situation in the country is grim and that he had to use the day for the reconvening of plenary to mourn those who lost their lives in the various attacks by insurgents in the north eastern part of the country. The speaker said he was moved to address the House due to what happened on February 25, 2014, the very day the House adjourned plenary, when insurgents struck in a school in Bunu Yadi, Yobe State killing innocent children. “On that night, about 59 students of Federal Government College, Bunu Yadi, Yobe State were killed in the most heinous manner. Some of our future national leaders were mowed down in gruesome circumstances in their sleep. Some were shot dead while many were burnt beyond recognition. That day was a day that will live in infamy in the history of this nation. “When innocent, harmless and defenseless women and children become the targets of these heartless, murderous bandits; when the lives of sleeping children are so callously snuffed out, it becomes clear that these agents of terror have murdered sleep and they henceforth deserve none,” he said. But almost the same time that the Speaker was trying to draw attention to the bizarre situation and the need to address the insecurity in the country, President Jonathan and other leaders of the PDP engaged themselves in other matters. The PDP has not been the same since five of its governors left its fold for the All Progressives Congress (APC) and most of its activities are usually targeted
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 08:01:29 +0000
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