The All Progressives Congress (APC) has kicked against the election of Bukola Saraki as senate president and Yakubu Dogara as speaker, describing it as “unacceptable”, an act of “treachery” and the “highest level of indiscipline”.
APC had picked Ahmad Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila for the respective posts but the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) endorsed Saraki and Dogara who went on to win.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Lai Mohammed, the APC national publicity secretary, said: ”Senator Bukola and Hon. Dogara are not the candidates of the APC and a majority of its National Assembly members-elect for the positions of Senate President and House Speaker. The party duly met and conducted a straw poll and clear candidates emerged for the posts of Senate President, Deputy Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, supported by a majority of all Senators-elect and members-elect of the House of Representatives. All National Assembly members-elect who emerged on the platform of the party are bound by that decision.
”The party is supreme and its interest is superior to that of its individual members. Consequently, the APC leadership is meeting in a bid to reestablish discipline in the party and to mete out the necessary sanctions to all those involved in what is nothing but a monumental act of indiscipline and betrayal to subject the party to ridicule and create obstacles for the new administration.
Advertisement
”There can be no higher level of treachery, disloyalty and insincerity within any part.”
The APC asked all its “loyal” senators-elect to please report to the senate to be sworn-in in order to discharge their constitutional duties.
Advertisement
7 comments
Some people are just too selfish.
I think the Yoruba will have a big lesson from this
Some people are just too greedy.
Yoruba ronu o.
Lie Mohammed should hide his face in shame, why is he castigating an election that took place in the open and all lawmakers expressed their opinion thru the polls. If he has issue with Senate election what of the house of rep election?
APC is a party that is dead on arrival.
I have told Asiwaju to go and take a course called Politics 101, but he refused.
Asiwaju has finally been confirmed as a local champion, this is not Lagos state where if he coughs every other person catches fever, he is now playing at National level so he needs to take tutorials on how to be a national player, this is NATIONAL assembly not Lagos state house of assembly. I feel for Gbajabiamila because he has the qualities to be a speaker both he aliened with bad group.
This is the beginning of pains and frustration for JAGABAN and his cohorts.
This election that took place in NASS is the right step in our democracy. The members have the right to choose the leaders they feel will represent their interest in the third arm of government. I would rather have an independent and vibrant legislature than one that is an extension of the executives and party leaders. APC leaders need to thread carefully because we might have a reoccurrence of what led to the defeat of PDP. Whoever was going to win the position of senate presepident and speaker had to extend an olive branch to the oppositions and not a ‘mock election’
Been a while I heard last from Mr Lai. But the position of APCas stated is laughable. I ask, are the men so elected senate presiden and speaker not members of APC? Don’t know how else principal officers are chosen. In my thinking though, the caucus that run things is still closely knitted, general elections notwithstanding.
I have prophetically said it many times over thst the relevance of APC in the next four year depends on how it manages its success after the elections and the possible come-back of PDP depends on how it manages its failute.Time will surely tell.
AN ABSOLUTE DOG’S BREAKFAST!
An absolute dog’s breakfast, an utter and complete shambles! With the so-called election of the most corrupt figures in the Senate and possibly in the House of Reps as leaders, the Buhari-APC change project is over even before it has begun. The PDP is effectively back in power via the backdoor in the vessel of Nigeria’s democracy.
A situation whereby the President, the Senate President, the Chief Justice, the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker are all from the Nigerian north is neither healthy for Nigeria’s political stability nor for its democracy. It goes also against the federal character provision in our Constitution. President Buhari’s hands-off approach to this matter in unwise, and would imperil his presidency and the agenda he promises to implement.