PDP Senators Weigh Offers from Goje, Ndume, Lawan
Following intense politicking, consultations and meetings, PDP senators have started weighing the offers from the camps of Lawan, Goje and Ndume.
It was learnt that the PDP leaders and senators had yet to conclude on whether they would endorse one of the three APC candidates or field their own candidates for the Senate presidency and other presiding offices.
But party insiders said that there were indications that some PDP leaders and senators, especially those from the North, favoured Goje.
A PDP ranking senator on Friday said that his colleagues were studying the offers.
The lawmaker said no definite decision had been taken on who the opposition members would support.
He said, “We have four options at the moment. We have three offers to support one of the three aspirants. The fourth offer is to bring out a candidate among the PDP ranking senators.
“We are still studying them. We had yet to ‘anoint’ any of them.”
But the national leadership of the APC on Friday said members of the National Assembly elected on the party’s platform contemplating moving against their decision on the National Assembly leadership had two months to step down.
The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Lanre Issa-Onilu, disclosed this in an interview with one of our correspondents.
Issa-Onilu was responding to questions on what the APC would do to lawmakers who refused to drop their ambitions.
He reminded such federal lawmakers that since they belong to the party, they had no choice but to obey the party’s constitution and regulations.
The spokesperson said, “We do not want to pre-empt any member because we still have about two months to the day they are expected to elect the new leaders of the National Assembly.
“It will be unhelpful if we begin to pre-empt and pass judgment, two months away from that day.
“We understand that our members know that the country’s constitution does not recognise independent candidates. If they are elected on the platform of a particular party, it means that they are ready to abide by the position and the constitution of that party.
“We are confident that by the time we are ready to have new leaders in the National Assembly, the members who are doing things that appear contrary to the position of the party would have seen reasons to step down and abide by the party’s position.”
Issa-Onilu said the party would ensure that the leaders of the National Assembly emerge with the consensus of the party.
He said it was because of the party leaders’ desire to avoid a repeat of what happened in 2015 that they decided to start the process early.
He said, “The consensus arrangement is what you see us doing. You will remember that there was nothing like this in 2015.”
“We are starting over two months to the day, you can see that we are taking steps that we need to take. The steps are on, it is not everything that is in public domain.”
“What is important is that the APC is showing the way democracy should be practised. Party supremacy is what you get in best of democracies and we want to be one of such.”
On the remaining zoning arrangement the party promised to release, Issa-Onilu said consultations were on.
He said it was not necessary for the party’s National Working Committee to hold a formal meeting on the matter.
He added, “On a daily basis consultations are on. It is the outcome of all of these that we are going to bring to the public.”
“We have to build a consensus around the decisions we are making. It is not just that the NWC will sit down and decree.”
“No, there are stakeholders that must be carried along. Those consultations are ongoing at all levels.”
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