October 30, 2014.
NewsRescue
By: Ibrahim Olalekan
The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), this afternoon, reacted with outrage to the news of the withdrawal of the security details of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, for decamping from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The party described the act as “executive radicalism and abuse of the country’s Constitution.”
In a statement release today by the State Chairman, Dr. Ikanya in Port-Harcourt, he said it is the constitutional right of Tambuwal to freely associate with any party of his choice which is not limited to the APC.
His words: “It is only an unserious politician that will continue to stay in a sinking party like PDP that has brought our nation shame and pains and made us a laughing stock before the international community. We therefore ask for the immediate reversal of this obnoxious order and commend Tambuwal for the bold step he has taken to join the party for a new Nigeria.”
Continuing, Ikanya said: “As we sympathize with the present leadership of PDP for making the party the largest undemocratic party in Africa and leading it to its present sorrowful state and imminent demise, we wish to further state that those calling for the resignation of the Speaker are just exposing their level of ignorance of the functions of the House of Representatives and our Constitution.
“Speaker Tambuwal was duly elected by the generality of the House members and can only be removed by impeachment with 240 members of the House. With only 180 PDP members in the House, where are they are going to get the extra 60 members to aid them in the impeachment of Tambuwal?
They should accept the reality that an APC Speaker is now in place, signaling the beginning of the take-over of the mantle of leadership by our great party on 29th May, 2015.”
Rivers APC advised the PDP leadership to read Section 50 (1b) of the Constitution, which states: “There shall be a Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves.”
The party pointed out that the Speaker was elected as the representative of the “generality of Nigerians” and not necessarily because he belonged to a particular political party.
“As we await the mass decampment of the remaining 50 PDP members of the House, we wish to urge President Jonathan to stop overheating the polity and start writing his handover note because he stands no chance of implementing any third term agenda next year as we will resist such an unholy attempt,” Rivers APC said.
The party insisted that all hope is lost for the leading party-PDP as the opposition party, APC, is in charge of states that determine votes in the next general elections like Lagos, Kano and Rivers.
