A pro-Jonathan group, National Unity Group emerged from the House of Representatives, Monday with a threat to tackle All Progressive Congress (APC) over the plot to block the 2014 budget and confirmation of the newly appointed service chiefs sequel to lingering political crisis in Rivers State.
The newly formed group, which comprises of lawmakers from PDP, APGA, Labour and Accord parties also urged APC members to refrain from any act that could impede national development and democracy.
Bitrus Kaze, NUG spokesman who read the state statement titled ‘No to Anarchy!” flayed move by APC lawmakers to disrupt legislative proceedings last Tuesday.
He said “Having noted that there are those anxious to heat up the system to a point of confusion, we the members of the National Unity Group of the Federal House of Representatives, rise to say enough is enough. More importantly we want to put on record that along with the vast majority of Nigerians we resolutely say NO to ANARCHY as being fomented by the newly registered All Peoples Congress. In taking this stand as a multiparty platform of Nigerian lawmakers committed to good governance, national stability an pan-Nigerian consensus building, we are mindful of the great political philosopher Edmund Burke’s dictum that: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” in the face of outrage!
“This is far truer in Nigeria where it would seem that those who make the most noise tend to believe they are winning the argument.
“It is with the above in mind that we decry the many acts of impunity and erroneous assumptions by the newly registered All Peoples Congress (APC) that are now trying the patience of most Nigerians. Just a week ago, in defiance of a court order, the APC in what the media next day admitted was a failed “attempt to take over NASS”, created a near breakdown in the chambers when the minority leader sought to claim that the majority leader was no longer the majority leader; in any case he was properly shouted down by most members.
“Now that APC are back at it again! It has just committed another blunder that shows its true face. Just last Thursday 23 January, it issued a “directive” like all command-and-control anti-democratic political parties, to its members to do the following:
“1. to boycott confirmation hearings of service chiefs without whom the fight against the Boko Haram terrorists would clearly fail.
“2. to further boycott and hence attempt to paralyze the Nigerian economy – everything from workers salaries to construction jobs – by not approving the 2014 National Budget now before the National Assembly even as the senate is set to devote all of this week to debating the N4.6Tn national budget.
“3. Calling on our colleagues who have followed their governors into the new assemblage of strange bedfellows, to stall and if possible, to disrupt the confirmation of President Jonathan’s ministerial nominees as a strategy to paralyze the federal civil service.
“4. Encouraging APC members to shirk their legislative duties and oversight responsibilities by tying themselves to the complicated series of unfortunate developments in Rivers State where the governor and the police commissioner need to settle their communications problems.
“MORE RECENTLY, a loquacious former federal minister EI Rufai, who is also the APC deputy national secretary, is on the run and in hiding after failing to answer summons from the State Security agencies, over his latest incendiary and unprovoked assertions.
“We are happy to note that all Nigerians from various walks of life – civil service unions, technocrats and professionals, community leaders and statesmen, market women and rural dwellers, financial analysts and businessmen – have all risen to condemn these directives. These series of untenable positions adopted by Nigeria’s newest party – one which people pejoratively call Angry People’s Congressman not worthy of a party struggling for national relevance. In this sense, it§ noisiest members need to look back and then look deeply within.
“These latest directives are a provocation and as far as legislative maneuvers go, they will once again fail. Hence everything must be done to arrest the APC attempt to turn Nigeria into a laughingstock We the National Unity Group in the House of Reps made up of PDP, Labor, Accord and APGA members, wish to aver as follows:
“■ That any attempt to tamper with the 2014 budget and hence the Transformation Agenda of the Jonathan administration, would be met with robust resistance; no Nigerian anywhere will stand by and watch an opposition greedy with mischief and power lust, frustrate the hopes of tens of millions of Nigerians with regard to health care, schools and universities, agricultural grants and projects, foreign investment promotion, water supplies, road works, utilities and other infrastructure including electricity, solar street lights and a dozen other necessities and obligations of Nigeria as a responsible nation whose duties are enshrined in Chapter IE of the 1999 Federal Constitution. If this budget is not passed soon, there will be hunger in the land, and the APC plan for anarchy will have succeeded.
“■ We in the Nigerian Unity Group of the House of Representatives, wish to add our voice to those calling for peace on abiding by the law in Rivers State as mentioned above, and in Ogun State as well as Ekiti. Where APC factions have violently engaged themselves as sitting APC governors try to foreclose challengers. We are also hoping the situation in Kwara, Borno and Kano occasioned by APC thugs forcibly taking measures against the PDP.
“■ Given the wrong premise upon which they are operating, we dispute the bogus claims of majority status by APC and call on our colleagues in the opposition to always strive to advise their colleagues to obey the law by abiding by judicial pronouncements, no matter how unpalatable to their political dreams and ambitions. Section 68 is clear about elected members and their parties – you don’t cross-carpet when and how you like.
“■ Given the extent to which defecting lawmakers are tied to the apron strings of their governors, we call on their constituents who are often mostly PDP loyalists, to step up and demand explanations from their representatives who just 30 months ago came to them under the PDP banner. Can anyone trust turncoats who use PDP money to service their new APC masters?
“« That further, we call on those purporting to act as spokesmen of the House to always endeavour to wear the toga of nonpartisanship and to always be sure what they are feeding the public are based strictly on House resolutions rather than their partisanends.
“■ That we fully commend the leadership of the House for the skilful handling of a difficult set of circumstances and continue to urge them to continue to put the interests of the nation ahead at all times.
“As a multiparty platform, the National Unity Group, NUG, stands ready always to defend the Nigerian constitution as a matter of priority no matter whose interests are offended.
“Our commitment to the Nigerian Project is irrevocable. We accordingly invite House APC members, our colleagues – and by extension the other Parties in the House – to always strictly seek to add value to our national quest for democracy and development.
“We therefore call on our colleagueswhose sense of duty and patriotism remains unquestioned to reject the latest APC “directives” as unpatriotic bad anti-progressive. They must reject ail efforts to destroy the Nigerian economy. Join us in saying No To Anarchy!”
