The Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, shunned last Thursday’s National
Executive Committee meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party to evade the
decision of the party to endorse President Goodluck Jonathan as its
sole 2015 presidential candidate, The PUNCH has learnt.
In
the past, whenever he avoided major PDP meetings, excuses such as being
out of the country or attending an important event elsewhere were
givený by his office to explain his absence.
However, The PUNCH gathered that this time round, Tambuwal was not only duly informed of the meeting but he was also very much in Abuja.
National Assembly sources confided in The PUNCH
on Sunday that Tambuwal did not attend the meeting because he already
reportedly knew that the agenda was about 2015 politics and the
endorsement of Jonathan.
He was said
to have claimed that the country was facing serious security challenges,
particularly the threat by Boko Haram insurgents and the abduction of
the 200 Chibok schoolgirls, which should be the main concerns of
government for now and not politics.
One
of the sources spoke further, “Tambuwal knew that there would be a NEC
meeting; he was in Abuja all day. He also already knew that the agenda
was about 2015 and how to endorse the President as the sole PDP
candidate.
“However, he felt some of
these things are being rushed in beating the gun for electioneering,
when the country is seriously battling insecurity.
“People
residing in a whole section of the country (North-East) have not known
peace for many months; school children have been abducted and their
whereabouts unknown.
“The Speaker is arguing that this is not the time to abandon governance for politics.”
Another
source added that Tambuwal’s speech when he received the NBA’s
leadership, led by the President, Mr. Augustine Alegeh, SAN, was
indirectly referring to the NEC decision.
“Did you listen to him when he met with the NBA?
“What did you think he was talking about?” The source asked our correspondent.
Tambuwal had urged the NBA to blow the whistle on corruption and to prevail on politicians to stop flouting the electoral laws.
He
had said, “The problem now is that governance is suffering at various
levels as many elected public office holders are already in politicking
mood.
But the PDP caucus at the House
said it was immaterial whether Tambuwal attended the NEC meeting or not,
so long as he remained a member of the party.
The
caucus said people should stop reading meanings into the speaker’s
absence at the meeting, as it did not remove the “fact that the
resolutions of NEC are binding on him.”
Deputy
House Majority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor, who gave the position of the
caucus, argued that any decision of NEC taken at a meeting, where a
quorum was formed was binding on all members.
“The issue of our Speaker not attending is not important. Has he told you he is no longer a member of the PDP?
“If
he is still a member of the PDP and a member of NEC, the decision of
NEC is binding on him; so, drop the speculation”, Ogor added.
Speculations
have heightened lately that it is only a matter of time for Tambuwal to
announce his defection to the All Progressives Congress.
The PUNCH tried without success on Sunday to get the Speaker or his office to comment on the matter.
Several calls and text messages by our correspondent were not answered or replied.
