Defection: PDP may declare Speaker’s seat vacant The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party is waiting for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mallam Aminu Tambuwal’s defection to the All Progressives Congress before ‘dealing’ with him, SUNDAY PUNCH has learnt. Investigations by our correspondent in Abuja during the week, revealed that the national leadership of the party was not pleased with the Speaker and was waiting patiently to see if he would defect to the APC before tackling him. There had been rumours that the Speaker was considering defecting to the APC with the intent of contesting for the position of the governor in his home state, Sokoto. The Governor of the State, Aliyu Wamakko, is said to be favourably disposed to the Speaker succeeding him, if he defects to the APC. Tambuwal was said to have attended a meeting of the APC stakeholders in the state, where his governorship aspiration was said to have been discussed. Although, a member of many caucuses of the PDP, the Speaker has not been attending its events, especially the National Executive Committee meetings. He was conspicuously absent at the last NEC meeting where President Goodluck Jonathan was adopted as the sole presidential candidate of the PDP. His actions were said to have angered the party; making members of the National Integration Committee of the party for the North-West, led by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, to ignore him when they visited Sokoto last week. It was gathered that the party’s hierarchy felt the best time for the party to take its pound of flesh over the many ‘atrocities’ said to have been committed by the Speaker was if he dared to defect. One of the two members of the National Working Committee of the party, who spoke on condition of anonymity with our correspondent said, “We are waiting for him to do what his people said he was going to do and also to show his true colours by going to the APC. It is then he would know that we are not fools.” One of the cards on the table, it was gathered, was to force him to step aside and stop presiding. “Then we will use the Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha to declare his seat vacant. The deputy speaker is a loyal party man and now that he wants to be governor of Imo State, he has no option but to do what the party wants,” another member said. He added that since the party has the highest number of lawmakers in the House, it might not be difficult to achieve this option. If this fails, it was also gathered that the party would proceed to the court and ask that Tambuwal be compelled to vacate the House having defected from the party that presented him. “You can’t eat your cake and have it. If you say you are leaving the party, give us the ticket. Go back to your new party and attempt to contest. That’s just it,” the source added. A member of the NWC who pleaded anonymity added that Tambuwal’s defection may also be positive for the PDP. He said, “If he leaves, that could also be a good omen to us. It means that the 2015 budget would be presented by the President without much anti-party speeches and all that. “It will also mean that the budget will be passed without much drama and rancour that his House is known for. So, in either way, the party will be a winner.”
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 07:42:18 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015