By Tunde Opalana
Nigerians have been alerted of plot by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to reenact culture of corruption and looting of the nation’s wealth through the National Assembly.
A socio-political group, the All Progressives Congress, APC Alliance for Good Governance, which raised the alarm said the PDP plans to “install its stooges in the National Assembly for deep-seated corruption and looting.”
Specifically, the group alleged that “the opposition party is using the tussle for the replacement of the outgoing Clerk of the National Assembly (CNA), Architect Olatunde Amos Ojo, to precipitate a crisis that will torpedo age-long tradition of seniority in the appointment of functional officers for the Assembly.”
According to a statement signed by the Assistant National Coordinator of the group, Dr. Sani Abubakar Liman, “a colossal amount of money running into billions of Naira has been earmarked to fight the battle with the Commissioners of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) being targeted for bribe of N50million each.”
The group further stated that “the outgoing Clerk, who is due to embark on mandatory pre-retirement leave on the 14th November 2022 on expiration of his tenure, is angling to remain until February 14, 2023 when he clocks 60 years of age as against the provision of extant rules.”
“Reports reaching the APC Alliance for Good Governance has it that the outgoing CNA has as plan A his continued stay in office illegally, while pushing for Sani Tambuwal (Secretary of Finance and Account) as plan B to succeed him and ultimately position him for the ultimate PDP takeover of the Assembly.
“The said Tambuwal is allegedly being sponsored by a current PDP Governor from Northwest, who happened to be a senatorial candidate targeting the office of Senate President, if he secures victory in 2023 election.
“This explains his desperation to buy all the commissioners at any cost to accomplish PDP underground plot to takeover National Assembly come 2023.
“We understand that three senior officers, Bashir Yero, the most senior, Sani Tambuwal, and Akabueze Chinedu, are the candidates screened by the NASC.
“In addition to the PDP plot, one Atiku Ibrahim Tambuwal, a cousin to the Northwest Governor and a director in the National Assembly, is being programmed to take over as Secretary of Finance and Administration once Sani Tambuwal is erroneously moved to take over as CAN.
“This would mean that the Northwest Governor who is scheming to become the Senate President will be completely in charge of the National Assembly funds with his relatives in place,” it stressed.
The statement, however, lamented that “the APC-led National Assembly and its leadership are not sensitive enough to foil this backdoor power takeover plot by PDP using Ojo and Tambuwal to hatch the coup d’ etat.”
It recalled that “the PDP appointed CNA – Maikasuwa was used to install PDP-backed Senator Bukola Saraki as the Senate President in the 8th Assembly, as against Senator Ahmad Lawal – APC’s choice. Former Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara emerges from same PDP alliance against Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the choice of the APC leadership.
“One wonders why the current leadership of both chambers of National Assembly forget so soon what befell them in 2015, the humiliation of inability of ruling party to produce choice leadership.
“For fairness, posterity and in the best interest of APC, the leadership of National Assembly should insist that Commissioners and the Chairman of NASC do the right thing by following Civil Service due process of Career Path, progression, and seniority, instead of manipulated political appointments of Clerks and Secretaries as was done without thorough due diligence but rather for the sake of Sani Omolori (former CNA) must go solidarity two years ago.
“As they say in local adage ”what you sow, you shall reap”, Ojo who was the lead-advocate and beneficiary of Omolori must go then, does not want to retire as age cut-up with him, what an irony.
“To further affirm why the commission must ensure fairness and transparency, the recently concluded screening of management and senior staff of National Assembly by the Commission in October 2022 reveals that many of the Secretaries and Clerks, had in the time past skipped promotion processes to become director in their various departments and directorates, which is contrary to the civil service provision.”
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