The leadership of All Progressive Congress (APC) has concluded plans to drag the 15 Senators including the Senate President Bukola Saraki as well as the 37 members of House of Representatives who defected to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to court.
In the bid to quash ongoing plans to impeach the Senate President through the backdoor, quite a number of lawmakers from both Senate and House of Representatives have called off the annual recess, BusinessDay investigation revealed.
Some of the lawmakers within the All Progressive Congress (APC) from the Upper Chamber held marathon meetings to re-strategize on the next line of action.
According to one of the Legislative aides close to a principal officer in the Senate, the arrowheads of the APC caucus in both Senate and House have resolved to ensure that the plenary reconvene next week with the view to actualize the plans to install APC into the leadership of both Chambers.
He explained that notice has been sent to all concerned APC lawmakers to converge next week, with the view to garner one-third in both chambers.
One of the APC lawmakers who confirmed the development, accused Speaker Dogara of appointing PDP caucus members as chairmen of major Standing Committees, such as Petroleum (Upstream) and Petroleum (Downstream), Public Procurement, among others.
Recall that Adams Oshiomhole, APC National Chairman, who spoke after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, called on the Senate President to: “as a matter of honour, leave the crown in the house that the crown belongs.”
Oshiomhole also accused Senator Saraki of using their offices to promote non-APC interests.
Speaking to select Legislative Correspondents on Thursday, Ado Doguwa, Majority Chief Whip in the House of Representatives, described the recent defection as self cleansing for easy victory for President Muhammadu Buhari in the forthcoming presidential election in 2019.
Doguwa (APC-Kano) however alleged that the group of lawmakers who migrated from APC to PDP took a self-centered decision that would end their political careers in the shortest time in the Nigeria’s political history.
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The Kano lawmaker, who described Buhari as a ‘phenomenon’ ready to win the 2019 presidential election, maintained that most of the defectors who have expressed intention to vie for the office of Nigerian President do not have political weight to mobilize supporters in their respective States.
Doguwa further disclosed that the party is initiating litigation processes to challenge the constitutionality of defection describing it as rape of the mandates bestowed on them.
He cited Kano state as an instance where the people refused to join their supposed political godfathers to their new found political parties.
In a related development, Riman Shawulu (PDP-Taraba) described the mass defection from the ruling party to his party as a healthy development as well the usual conduct of politicians where they believe their political aspirations could be made.
Shawulu said PDP is now reformed and ready to clinch the Presidency in the 2019 general elections. While reacting to plans to reconvene plenary next week, some of the PDP lawmakers who frowned at the development, argued that there is no emergency to warrant such decision.
One of the kano lawmakers who recently defected to PDP, Aliyu Madaki argued that the Fifth Columnists working toward reconvening of the National Assembly are fueling crisis in the polity.
“We are on recess and is an annual ritual we always fulfill. They want us to reconvene so that they can cause further crisis but we are very ready for them.”
On the virement budget, he said “we saw it before we went on recess and we can always look at it when we resume. If it is not in good taste, we will return it to them immediately,” Madaki noted.
On his part, Kingsley Chinda (PDP-Rivers) vowed that the PDP caucus will spring surprise when the House reconvene as planned by the leadership of APC. “There must be an ulterior motive behind the call to reconvene the National Assembly but we’ll surprise them and if I may ask, for what purpose are we reconvening?
“If it is because of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) budget, why did the Executive fail to include it in the 2019 Appropriation?
“But whatever they are plotting, we’ll surprise them and make what is on ground for now a child’s play as we are sure they will not succeed with their selfish intentions!
“Since we are here to represent our people, if it becomes mandatory we may reconvene. But if they attempt anything funny, we will surprise them,” Chinda who doubles as chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts vowed.
