NASS: PDP Could Have Taken Senate Presidency – Metuh

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has boasted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) should be grateful to it for not seiz­ing the opportunity that was at its disposal to take over the Senate Presiden­cy.

It also cautioned former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, against incendiary utter­ances capable of destabilis­ing the National Assembly and rubbishing the prevail­ing political tranquility in the country.

Adding that Kwankwaso and APC leaders should rather be grateful to PDP senators for being disci­plined and not using their preponderance at the inau­guration to take the entire leadership of the Senate following the opening cre­ated by APC leaders in convening a meeting of senators-elect at the same time fixed for the election of the leaders of the National Assembly, PDP, speaking through its National Pub­licity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, yesterday stated it was particularly shocked by the hate statement from Kwankwaso wherein he used offensive language on the PDP and its members in the National Assembly.

It stated it was “taken aback by the venom and bitterness in the statement, especially coming from a former governor, an elected senator, a highly respected former member of the PDP, who also benefitted hugely from the party as minister and two-time state gover­nor.”

Saying that it would have wished not to join issues with politicians who grew their political profile in the party no matter where they are at the moment, PDP regretted that “Sena­tor Kwankwaso went too far in declaring the party dead just because he is aggrieved that the Senate Presidency did not go his way.”

He stated it was “inde­corous, mischievous and misleading for anybody to declare a party with an en­viable history as the PDP, with 14 state governors, 47 Senators and hundreds of members in the House of Representatives and state Houses of Assembly dead.”

Metuh said: “Where was Kwankwaso when a party he claimed was dead de­feated his choice candidate in the Senate? Was it a dead party that was able to do what according to Kwank­waso, no other party could do in the 16 years of PDP control of the National As­sembly?

“Indeed, we found it very baffling that such unguard­ed statement came from a person who contested for the high office of the Presi­dent of Nigeria.

“Statements from such personalities should be dec­orous, statesmanlike and focused on national interest instead of promoting acri­mony and division in the polity. This unfortunate out­burst is well below Kwank­waso’s character and status and we urge him to desist from such.”

Furthermore, PDP dis­missed as frivolous, Kwak­waso’s unfounded and un­substantiated claim that PDP’s agenda is to irritate President Muhammadu Buhari and put hurdle be­fore him, recalling that it had repeatedly assured that it would help the govern­ment by providing robust and constructive opposition that would help his govern­ment unlike APC’s hate op­position, adding that such baseless complains would not stop Nigerians from holding the APC-led Fed­eral Government to its cam­paign promises.

The party also described as laughable, Senator Kwankwaso’s claims that under President Muhammadu Buhari, everything is working well in the country and won­dered why he failed to give the credit for the stability in the nation to whom it is due, immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan whose conceding of power even amidst electoral irregulari­ties brought the conducive atmosphere the nation is enjoying today.

It noted with delight the statesmanlike stance of President Muhammadu Buhari who at the just concluded African Union, AU, summit in South Africa eulogised former President Jonathan for tak­ing the unique action that brought calm to the country.

On Kwakwaso’s claim of giving 1.9 million votes from Kano and over 750,000 votes from his senatorial zone to Buhari and APC, PDP stated it does not want to join is­sues with him, because of its decision to tow the path of peace, except to note the electoral ridicule of 1.9 mil­lion voters, with no single void vote, a record for the Guinness Book.

Advising Senator Kwankwaso and others like him who may still be ag­grieved about the turn of events at the National As­sembly to see it as democ­racy in action, PDP noted that the two major religions in the country hold that only God gives power and if He did not destine that Senators Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, would emerge President and Dep­uty President of the 8th Sen­ate respectively, it would not have happened.

National Mirror