CRISIS IN APC: INCOMPETENCY DISPELLED
Nigeria’s ruling party, APC, has
criticised one of the states it governs for conducting an ’embarrassing’ parliamentary
election.
The APC condemned the recent inauguration of the state house
of assembly in Edo State. It also condemned a similar inauguration in Bauchi
State, governed by Nigeria’s largest opposition party, PDP.
The party, in a statement signed by its National Publicity
Secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu, said it viewed the illegality with shock and
dissapointment.
The new Edo assembly was inaugurated on Monday, with nine
members electing Frank Okiye as Speaker. The assembly has 24 members-elect.
A similar scenario took place in Bauchi on Thursday morning
where 11 out of 31 lawmakers of the 9th Bauchi state house of assembly picked a
new speaker.
The lawmakers elected Abubakar Suleiman, the lawmaker
representing Ningi Central Constituency (APC), as the Speaker on Thursday.
The two inaugurations were said to be masterminded by the
respective state governors.
Mr Issa-Onilu, while condemning the inaugurations, vowed that
his party would use all democratic means necessary to ensure the right thing is
done.
“As a party that has made a commitment to change, we strongly
reject any attempt to take a recourse to brigandage of the past, when
democratic practices were defined by the inordinate whims of people in power.
“Democracy must be governed by the rule of law. A situation
where 11 lawmakers in the 31-member Bauchi State House of Assembly and nine
lawmakers in the 24-member Edo State House of Assembly were secretly
‘inaugurated’ and purportedly ‘elect’ principal officers behind closed doors is
a joke and an embarrassment.
“It is an unfortunate reminder of PDP’s queer brand of
democracy. Practices like this are unacceptable under APC-led administration.”
He reminded the “actors” of the recent and widely-commended election
of presiding officers in the newly-inaugurated 9th National Assembly.
“Our party has set new standards in party politics by
upstaging the rule of force, while upholding the rule of law.
“It needs restating that every elected lawmaker has a
legitimate right to participate unhindered in the inauguration of the
legislative arm in which he belongs.
“The plot to arm-twist the majority in favour of the minority
in the legislative arm died with the defeat of the PDP in 2015.
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