The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has asked the Presidency and ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), to apologise to Nigerians for the embarrassment their inexperience with National issues is causing Nigeria.
The PDP also asked the APC and Presidency not to harass Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa, the Clerk of the National Assembly (NASS), the NASS Service Commission and PDP lawmakers. The party also asserted that any attempt for the APC in any capacity to take out its anger on PDP members would be termed as victimisation and witch hunting.
This declaration was made in a statement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in Abuja. The statement is a response to the claims by Mallam Garba Shehu, the President’s spokesman that President Muhammadu Buhari had asked the NASS clerk to shift the time for the Tuesday inauguration of the 8th Senate so that the President could address the APC lawmakers but the clerk choose to ignore it.
Metuh said the statement by Shehu “amounts to putting undue pressure on civil servants in the National Assembly for performing their legitimate duties and sends a serious signal which should not be ignored.”
Hd also described the fact that APC displayed its “arrogance and disrespect for the dictates of the constitution” by attempting to adjust the President’s promulgation order on the National Assembly and seeking to put their interest over and above the supreme law of the land,” as unfortunate.
He said, “It is a clear mark of disrespect to the constitution for the President and his party to fix a meeting for him to address their legislators the same time he had directed the Assembly to be inaugurated in line with the constitution.
“For 16 years that PDP nurtured democracy in this country, there was never a day it attempted to arm-twist or intimidate the bureaucracy of the National Assembly to do its bidding given our recognition and respect for the independence and sanctity of the legislative arm.
“The National Assembly is the citadel of democracy and represents the collective voice of all Nigerians. The PDP, even in opposition, will continue to protect its sanctity and will therefore resist any attempt by the APC to undermine its independence and those of other democratic institutions in our country.”
He asserted that APC and President Buhari’s stand on the issue went a long way to contradict the President’s inaugural statement of belonging to everybody and nobody. He therefore urged the Presidency and APC to apologise to Nigerians for the embarrassment their “ineptitude and inexperience have been causing the nation since they came into office.”
