Lawmakers elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, may lose their seats if they vote against the party’s choice for the president of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 10th Assembly, THE WHISTLER has gathered…..CONTINUE READING...CONTINUE READING
There were revelations in the past week that opposition governors in the PDP called the G-5 would rally elected lawmakers from their states to support the group’s choice for both the Senate president and speaker positions.
This stems from disagreement which forced the group to boycott the PDP presidential campaign.
The G-5 governors supported other presidential candidates during the election following the leadership crisis that engulfed the former ruling party.
The arrowhead of the G-5 made up of five governors, Nyesom Wike, had revealed his stance when Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase visited him to canvas for the speakership position.
Wike had assured him that he would support the APC for the positions in the yet to be inaugurated 10th Assembly.
Wike asserted that, “The way we are now, the truth must be told that we are going to support the leadership of your party at the national level.
“I am not going to support anybody that is coming from anywhere.”
The PDP has not reacted to Wike’s statement but the party is already strategizing on how to deal with lawmakers loyal to G-5, with the possibility that lawmakers who deviate from party line may be punished.
According to a Senator-elect from the South south, the PDP leadership has put a plan to in place to ostracise deviant lawmakers in the 10th NASS, which include the possibility for them to lose their seats.
The Senator -elect who did not want his name mentioned said the sanctions “would be pushed to maximum effect,” adding that the party will not be responding to “talks from drunk people any longer but act.”
He explained that the way the acting national chairman is going about managing the affairs of the party, “he doesn’t talk much. They can continue to talk in their drunkenness but let them try to scupper the plan of the party and see what would happen to their supporters who are elected (senators and house members).
“They would lose their seats for sure. The party knows what to do. And we are meeting.”
He said the party has warned all elected lawmakers to behave if they want to avoid the coming sanctions.
Also revealing what the PDP would do if the G-5 loyalists decide to toe the line of their benefactors, an elected house member said, “What they want these lawmakers to do is suicide. These governors would leave after May 29 except one.
“Would they be following them to the National Assembly for sittings? If these people want to behave like children who should be told what to do on issues that concern them, then welcome aboard, they will most likely lose their seats,” he warned.
He said the party has plans to ensure that lawmakers loyal to G-5 are not elected to leadership positions in both chambers of the national assembly.
He said , “They will as well not get any principal positions.”
He warned the G-5 lawmakers not to throw away their political careers because of loyalty to governors who would soon be out of power.
He said, “To my colleagues, they should not throw this away. They better think about their political future.
“We are not going to take the leader of both houses but we would play a major role in deciding what happens.
“But if after Saturday’s election we have more opposition elected lawmakers, then we may take the House but the Senate is for the APC.
“So, they should think carefully before being fooled by some selfish governors who have lost their relevance.”…..CONTINUE READING
