Baraje’s PDP Accuses Presidency of Plot to Impeach Mark, Tambuwal

Senator  David Mark

The breakaway faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the presidency of hatching a plot to impeach Senate President David Mark and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, for having the temerity to grant audience to the seven governors of the faction and its executive committee led by Alhaji Abubakar Baraje.

The seven aggrieved governors and other members of the New PDP had visited both chambers of the National Assembly on Tuesday, leading to a brawl in the House of Representatives. 

The Baraje group also described the plot to impeach the principal officers of the National Assembly as “politics taken too far”.

But the allegation by the New PDP has been dismissed by the lower chamber, which said there was no truth in the speculation that some members were being sponsored by external forces to impeach Tambuwal and other principal officers of the House.

In a statement by the group’s National Publicity Secretary, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, the New PDP said: “We have learnt of the sinister plot to impeach both the Senate President, Senator David Mark, and Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, in connection with the visit of the progressive governors and the National Working Committee of the PDP to the National Assembly on September 17.

“To us, this plot by the hawks in the presidency is politics taken too far and illustrates the extent to which they are prepared to go in their determination to plunge this country into chaos.

“We wish to warn those who are planning this coup to desist forthwith as such a misadventure is capable of plunging this nation into a crisis of monumental proportions.

“These undemocratic elements should stop overheating the polity just because of their selfish ambitions. Those who feel that politics is better practised by way of threats and the unseating of those who do not share their unprogressive thoughts should know that there is a limit to how far they can push us,” the group stressed. 

The splinter group said Mark and Tambuwal have brought in a unique style of leadership, “which has resulted in sanity, brotherhood, unity being witnessed in the National Assembly since they came on board and any negative attempt on them would be resisted, considering that we now have the majority in the Assembly.”

“They did nothing wrong by warmly welcoming the progressive governors and the NWC of PDP to the National Assembly. The visit was well-intentioned and part of the nationwide consultations being undertaken by our people in our effort to correct the evils being perpetrated by the undemocratic leadership of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and his cohorts,” the statement signed by Eze said.

The PDP faction said: “For the avoidance of doubt, the progressive governors have for the past three months been visiting past heads of state and some other great minds in their search for a peaceful way out of the logjam in the PDP orchestrated by the failed Tukur leadership of the party.

“Their visit to the National Assembly was just in continuation of their nationwide tour. The aim was to brief and rub minds with members of the National Assembly in view of their position as leaders of the party on how to reposition our great party to be united and face other parties by 2015.

“We wish to commend both the leadership and the members of the National Assembly for the great reception accorded our team during our visit even as we condemn the failed attempt by certain desperate and undemocratic elements to sabotage the visit by engineering a rowdy scene during our delegation’s meeting with members of the House of Representatives.”

Baraje’s PDP, however,  thanked Mark for what it described as “his great counsel that no member of the National Assembly will be unseated for any reason based on the present wrangling within the party.

“This was contrary to the threat by Tukur and his misguided group that said members of the National Assembly supporting our move to restore sanity to our party will have their seats declared vacant, not minding the limit of their powers in this regard though unconstitutional acts are that they are well noted for.”
Curiously, the House has dismissed speculations of a plot to impeach the speaker and other principal officers of the lower chamber of the National Assembly.

Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Zakary Mohammed, told journalists yesterday that the House was aware of the speculations but was not disturbed because the power to remove the speaker lied with all the members of the House and not just a few lawmakers.

He said so far, the House was not contemplating taking any action against its leadership because it had no cause to do so.

Mohammed, however, admitted that there had been speculations that some members had been financially induced to destabilise the leadership of the House, but said the House had no hand in the said plot.

He said the House would on Tuesday suspend its plenary session to embark on a one-week oversight of ministries, departments and agencies  (MDAs) of the federal government.

He added that the essence of the exercise was to ascertain the extent of implementation of the 2013 budget.