The speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal,
yesterday dispelled growing rumours that he was on the verge of
leaving the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for an opposition
party.
Tambuwal told journalists at the Benin Airport, Edo State, yesterday
that he was still a member of the PDP and was not set to leave the
ruling party.
President Goodluck Jonathan had warned elected political officeholders
under the platform of the PDP that the party would not hesitate to
apply the big stick for anti-party activities and fraternising with
the opposition.
The speaker has severally missed state and PDP functions for events
organised by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which has fused
with the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Congress for
Progressive Change (CPC) to form the All Progressive Congress (APC).
"I am still a member of the PDP. I remain in the PDP, I am a PDP, I am
hearing that rumour from you," Tambuwal said, laughing. `
President Jonathan was reported to have warned that the "new PDP"
would not condone indiscipline, after accusing some of the leading
lights of openly fraternising with the opposition.
On the 2013 budget impasse, Tambuwal, who was in Benin City, Edo
State, as a guest of the deputy governor, Dr Pius Odubu, on his
birthday and wedding anniversary, said that consultations were on and,
at the appropriate time, Nigerians would benefit from it.
"Well, you know it is all about consultation and we will keep talking
to ourselves and ensure that Nigerians get the best out of it. But I
assure you that what the National Assembly is doing is to ensure that
the Nigerian people get the best out of the situation. We are not
there to undermine the interest of Nigerians; we will be the last
people to ever do that."
Thousands of ACN supporters led by Odubu rolled out the drums to give
a rousing welcome to Tambuwal.
Also on Thursday night, Rivers State governor and chairman of the
Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF), Chief Rotimi Amaechi, refuted the
speculation that he was making moves to join the yet-to-be-registered
APC, having allegedly taken over the structures of the new political
group in the state.
The governor vowed to remain a member of the PDP despite his current
ordeals with the leadership of the party both at the national and
state levels.
Amaechi spoke in Port Harcourt while reacting to allegations levelled
against him by the state chairman of the PDP, Mr Felix Obuah, when he
led a delegation to visit President Jonathan in Abuja.
Obuah had alleged that the governor was making efforts to destabilise
the party in Rivers before crossing over to the APC.
But Amaechi, who spoke through the commissioner for information and
communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, said although the PDP chairman
was entitled to his opinion, "he should not seek relevance by
constituting himself into a trouble-maker".
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