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Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Atlast, PDP accepts Tambuwal, Ihedioha

Almost Twenty four hours after the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said it could not congratulate Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal for dumping the zoning arrangement of the party, the
leadership of the party, yesterday, made a U-turn and stressed it readiness to work with him.
Speaking yesterday when he received Speaker Tambuwal and his Deputy, Emeka Ihedioha at the National Secretariat of the party, Acting National Chairman, Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed, urged the leadership of the House to ensure that the party was carried along in the appointment of other key officers of the lower legislative chamber to ensure that other geo-political zones in the country had a fair deal.
The U-turn was on the heels of President Goodluck Jonathan’s congratulation of the lawmakers on their election.
“Now that what has happened has happened, the remaining positions in the House, you should allow the party to look at how we can balance it so that the other zones are taken care of before we come back to you to give you the chance to lead your people in electing to reflect balance in the leadership of the House. Thank you very much for this visit, we accept your apology,” Mohammed.
The turnaround, which is expected to boost internal harmony in the ruling PDP, came as Tambuwal took steps to reassure President Jonathan of the support of the legislators just  as the South-West Leaders Forum yesterday rejected the election of Tambuwal, describing the process as a cheat to the people of the zone, saying it was a wake up time for the people of the West to rise against what it described as near political oblivion.
PDP ‘ll work with Tambuwal — Mohammed
Apparently dismissing fears that the PDP would move against Tambuwal and Ihedioha, the party chairman said: “I can assure you the party will work with you. The government of Nigeria, under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan, will work with you. And we will make sure that the government work with you so that the mutual cooperation that we have developed in the last 12 years will continue.
The PDP has a majority both in the Senate and in the House. Therefore, the people of Nigeria will not forgive us if we do not use this majority to work for the development and transformation of Nigeria within the time available to us.

Speaker Taminu Waziri Tambuwal (left) with Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha at National Assembly.
“Therefore, the party will like you, like you have said in your address and we welcome that statement, to work closely with the government so that PDP programmes will be delivered to the people of this country.”
Forgive us – Tambuwal
Speaker Tambuwal, who arrived the National Secretariat with his Deputy, Ihedioha, at 1.50 p.m, went straight to the Chairman’s Conference room where they met members of the National Working Committee, NWC, pleaded for forgiveness, describing their emergence as God’s design.
He noted that prior to their election, they made themselves unavailable thereby giving the leadership of the party sleepless nights.
His words: “Mr. Chairman, we are not unaware of the fact that in the course and process of the emergence of the leadership in the House of Representatives, so many things were informed. It came to a point our dear fathers, our leaders in the party, were looking for their children and said we were missing even though we were not exactly wanted,  because we know that we are beloved and loved by our party, we knew that we actually gave you sleepless nights.
“As your dear children and as loyal members, we are here this afternoon to give you your due respect and to say here and now that all that we did was not intended in anyway, to either undermine our party or out of disrespect to our party. It was a share coincidence of that history of this country and destiny and providence had it that from the inauguration of the Seventh National Assembly, House of Representatives in particular, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal from North-West and Emeka Ihedioha from South East, contrary to the hope and aspiration of our party will emerge as speaker and deputy speaker.
“It was designed by God, it was not designed by us. We are pleading with our party to forgive whatever it was that went wrong in the process and continue to accept us because I know that we have not been rejected as your children and continue to guide us in doing only those things that will promote the unity, harmony prosperity and peace of this country.
“Mr  chairman, I and my deputy are here to assure you and  indeed the party, through you, Mr. President, the head of our government, that  we shall give our government maximum cooperation, towards ensuring that all the laudable programmes of our party are implemented through good legislation that will come out of the House of Representatives in collaboration with the Senate. We assure you that we shall give cooperation and every support to Mr. President and the Government so that our party can deliver on its promises to the electorates. As I said earlier on Mr. Chairman, we seek for your understanding. We seek for your forgiveness, we hereby apologise.”
You’re forgiven, but …

Responding, the acting national chairman, said: “Mr. Speaker you are welcome to your home, the headquarters of the party. You are right, we are not very happy with you at this moment. We are quite aware that you and your colleagues in the House did not quite work in line with the policy of our party. But you have not left the party, what has happened has happened, it is a surprise to us. We are not quite comfortable, but we have not rejected you.
“And PDP, being large party, and a collection of different mindsets, we are used to crisis in the affairs of our party. We believe in different views and like we said in our statement yesterday (Tuesday), we believe in free choice, for all Nigerians including members of the National Assembly. What has happened may be a breakdown in communication between members of the party and this will  not be for the first time.
“Fortunately, PDP is a versatile party, and we have got the organisation and the strength to weather all our problems and to work our solutions to whatever misunderstanding that arise within the family. The election of Speaker has happened, I am glad it was free and fair because we observed it even though it didn’t go according to the dictate of the party. We are faced with it a fait accompli.
What remains now is for the party to use our usual dispute resolution mechanism, to work out the way forward. All we want is peace and stability in this country. That is why PDP arrived at zoning.
‘’I am sure Mr. Speaker, your election will not mean the end of zoning.  Because even if we don’t take zoning as a policy, PDP is a party of equity and fair play. And equity and fair play demands that of the major positions, at the party and the government, each section of this country should have at least one position or the other so that we can achieve peace and stability.”
Tambuwal moves to reassure Jonathan
As part of the peace and reconciliation moves, Speaker Tambuwal has initiated moves to win the confidence of President Jonathan. The presidency and the hierarchy of the PDP opposed his emergence as speaker.
Alongside his deputy, Ihedioha and a number of members of the House of Representatives, the Speaker on Tuesday night met with Chief Edwin Clark, elder statesman and confidant of the President during which the two men assured Clark of their determination to cooperate with the executive arm of government.
“The Speaker denied reports in some quarters that he was sponsored to cause problems for the President as part of a broader objective of distabilising the government,” a source present at the meeting disclosed.
Speaker Tambuwal, it was learnt, further told the elder statesman that he could not inspire a rebellion against President Jonathan being that he had also been a friend of some close associates of the President.
Chief Clark while welcoming the members lauded their gesture and advised that every unit of government should work together for the benefit of the citizenry.
S-West leaders reject him
According to the group, a meeting will be held soon where a position would be taken on the unfolding political scenario, adding: ‘’It is against this background that we like to appeal to members of our party in the South-West to remain calm against the background of this emerging bitter reality, just as we feel that time is ripe for the zone to retreat to the drawing board to take stock with a view to projecting for the future.
“We feel that the turn of event serves as a wake up call for us in South-West PDP to start the process of re-building and re-strategising, realising that the time to start mobilising for re-awaking and re-positioning of PDP in the zone is now.
In a statement signed by former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun, Ambassador Tunde Adeniran and Otunba Fasawe and entitled: ‘’PDP, South West and need for political re-orientation,” the group said: “We believe strongly that the principles of equity, fairness and democratic justice demand that the systematic relegation of South-West zone in national politics should be considered and addressed by the leadership of the PDP at the national level. Thus, we call on leaders of PDP not to tarry in taking the necessary steps towards appeasing the aggrieved south-west zone as a consequence of the sad turn of events.
“This is germane, politically-expedient and fundamental simply because the South-West deserves to have a sense of belonging in national affairs, much as it desires to be part of the PDP family and sustain its relevance in national politics.
‘’We are of a strong view that the zoning of the speakership position to the South-West was a testament to the resolve by our party to continue to offer the zone its fare-share in power distribution, while maintaining a sense of fairness and equity in its political considerations. Members of PDP in the South-West zone took the party’s decision with open arm and then eagerly looked forward to a good actualisation of the zoning formula as agreed to by the PDP.
‘’It was, however, to the utter shock and embarrassment of members of PDP and the people of South-West that the House of Representatives on Monday, June 6, 2011 resolved to dump the zoning formula and wilfully subverted the party’s position on zoning for no appealing and compelling reason.”(Vanguard)

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