As the incoming National Assembly leadership tussle continues, the PDP Nationalist Group (PNG) has cautioned the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against moves by some party leaders to make lawmakers elected on its platform to support candidates vying Presiding Offices, which will portray the party as anti-South and anti-Christianity.
The group while rejecting what it described as the anti-South and anti-Christianity posture of certain leaders in the PDP, accused the leaders of spearheading an oppressive agenda against Southerners and Christians in the country.
A statement jointly signed by the group’s national coordinator, Dr. Chibuike Tobias Nwosu, and secretary, Barr. Osamudieme Omoruyi, said the leaders were trying to railroad PDP members-elect in the National Assembly to support a particular aspirant.
The statement said, “Our group notes with utter dismay and ire the activities of these unconscientious leaders within the PDP who continue to suppress and deny Southerners and Christians in the PDP of access to Party and other leadership positions in the country, thus making the PDP appear to be anti-South and anti-Christian.
“The anti-south disposition of these leaders painfully alienated our Party in the South and cost our Party the low hanging Presidential election and majority seat in the two chambers of the National Assembly.
“It is indeed troubling that the PDP is apparently allowing an anti-south and anti-Christian agenda being pursued by certain northern leaders within the PDP, who are working with the APC, to railroad unsuspecting PDP Senators and Reps-elect to foist northern and non-Christian Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives on the National Assembly.
“The implication of such ethnic and religious politics will be the imposition of another northern non-Christian as the Senate President after sixteen years of northerners as Senate President, with non-Christian northerners holding the position in the last eight years, in a country where there are many qualified southerners to hold the position under the current dispensation.”
The group added that in the last eight years, non-Christian northerners, Senator Bukola Saraki and Senator Ahmed Lawan, have presided as Senate President.
They further argued that the implication is that the PDP would be lending itself to creating an undemocratic and anti-Nigerians scenario of non-Christian President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chief Justice of the Federation.
“It is therefore vexatious, distressing, provocative and disuniting if the PDP allows itself to be used to foist another northerner as Senate President and the Party must immediately retrace itself or risk going into political oblivion.
“We therefore caution the PDP to note that treading in the direction of allowing its Senators and Reps-elect to be railroaded to support a northern and non-Christian Senate President will not only diminish the PDP and end its way to political recovery as it might lead to mass exodus of well-meaning, nationalist minded members from our fold.”
