APGA,LP,ACCORD,PDP Form Alliance To Fustrate APC In House Of Reps

 

The famed unity  in the Aminu Tambuwal-led House of Representatives was unravelling, yesterday, as members began to take position along party lines on the directive by the All Progressives Congress, APC, to shut down the government.

The directive by the opposition party to shut down government bills upon the alleged reign of impunity in Rivers State, yesterday, led to the emergence of at least three groups in the House taking divergent positions on the issue.
The new body termed “National Unity Group of the Federal House of Representatives” (NUG) is composed of PDP, All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Accord Party (AP) and Labour Party (LP) members.

Speaking as the Leader of the group, Hon. Bitrus Kaze (Jos North/South Federal Constituency of Plateau State) said the group was formed to essentially protect the unity of the country.

He recalled the attempt by Gbajabiamila to ridicule the PDP Deputy Leader, Rep Leo Ogor on the floor of the House last Tuesday when he addressed him as the “minority leader,” and vowed that the group would not allow Nigeria to be ridiculed.
Giving the motives of the group, he said: “Just a week ago, in defiance of a court order, the APC in what the media next day admitted was a failed “attempt to take over NASS,” created a near breakdown in the chambers when the minority leader sought to claim that the majority leader was no longer the majority leader; in any case he was properly shouted down by most members.

“These latest directives are a provocation and as far as legislative manoeuvres go, they will once again fail. Hence, everything must be done to arrest the APC attempt to turn Nigeria into a laughing stock. We the National Unity Group in the House of Reps made up of PDP, Labour, Accord and APGA members, wish to aver as follows:

“That any attempt to tamper with the 2014 budget and hence the Transformation Agenda of the Jonathan administration, would be met with robust resistance;

Reacting to the development, Gbajabiamila, the leader of the APC House caucus said: “Those names and groups are unknown to the House. So I cannot speak to their agenda. However, that it would take the hurried and panicky  formation of three groups to counter a legitimate directive from one party speaks volumes not only about their understanding of issues and politics but also of the impact and force of the directive.” .Rep. Ogbonna Nwuke (Omuma/Etche Federal Constituency, Rivers State) on his part also charged the PDP to respond squarely to the issues on hand.

“The PDP should rather address the issue in question. What the APC drew attention to was the brazen abuse of power, the unnecessary recourse to impunity by the authorities especially in Rivers State. Why are they not addressing that matter? That is the issue the APC was drawing national attention to and why it ordered its lawmakers to shut down government.

Hon. Abiodun Faleke (APC) Lagos State: “No law maker can stop me from democratically expressing my views on the floor just as I cannot stop any. At the end, majority will prevail.”