The
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has condemned as a show of shame and
national embarrassment, Thursday’s fracas by disgruntled All
Progressives Congress, APC, members in the House of Representatives,
saying the ugly development brings to question, President Muhammadu
Buhari and his party’s commitment to democracy, unity and the stability
of the country.
The PDP said the “disgraceful” act is a
direct consequence of President Buhari’s lack of democratic credentials
to reign in his party to respect the independence and sanctity of the
legislative arm of government, the very citadel of democracy, as
enshrined in the nation’s constitution.
PDP
National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement on Thursday
said “the barbaric attempt to physically assault a duly elected Speaker,
seize the mace, the authority of the House, is a direct attack on the
Nigerian parliament which embodies the supremacy of the people and our
freedom as a democratic nation”.
The party said what Nigerians
witnessed in the House on Thursday clearly underscores the fact that the
APC has exhausted its excuses and has now imported its internal
contradictions into an independent arm of government as a way to further
cover its lack of ideas for governance.
It alerted that
intelligence available to it shows that “the brawling APC lawmakers
ostensibly acted on instructions from the Presidency, an obvious
indication that President Buhari is largely an interested party whose
involvement is beyond mere body language”.
The PDP said the
dishonorable conduct from the unruly APC lawmakers in acting out the
script did not come to it as a surprise given that they are bred and
nurtured under a political platform that lacks discipline and thrives on
violence as an unwritten manifesto.
“We state unequivocally
that the onus lies on President Buhari to ensure that all democratic
institutions are harnessed for effectiveness, a responsibility he has
apparently abdicated by allowing his personal interest to instigate
division in the parliament, a tendency that poses great threat to the
survival of our democracy and the stability of the nation”.
The
PDP said the continued confusion in the APC-led government is a
confirmation of its earlier stand that the APC lacks the capacity and
democratic discipline to effectively steer the ship of nation and face
the challenges of governance at the center.
“If a party that has
since March 28, 2015 when it got its victory, about 90 days ago, cannot
resolve a basic issue of selecting its leadership in the National
Assembly, clearly, their competence for national governance comes to
question”, the PDP stated.
The PDP however applauded Speaker
Yakubu Dogara for his comportment especially his statesmanly remarks
after the unfortunate incident and urged him to continue to display
maturity and not yield any ground in his duties to protect the
independence of the legislature.
Finally, the PDP commended all
its members (past and present) in the House of Representatives for their
maturity and dignifying conduct in line with the ideals of its founding
fathers on democracy built on peace and unity.
Credit: Premium Times
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