PDP to Reps’ Speaker: Declare seats of Tijani, Jisalo vacant

Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The national leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has demanded that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara should declare the seats of two of its members who defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC, on thursday , on the floor of the house, vacant.

The duo of Hon. Ahmed Tijani from Kogi State and Zaphaniah Jisalo from the FCT announced their defection from our Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday.

The PDP, in a statement yesterday by the National Publicity Secretary of its National Caretaker Commitee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, told Nigerians that it is presently not having any crisis nor any division within its leadership structure which could justify the decision of the two members to House of to jump ship.

The party, in the statement said, “The attention of the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been drawn to the act of illegality perpetrated on the Floor of the House of Representatives today (Thursday) by two members of the Parliament who were elected on the Platform of our Party.

” We wish to announce to all Nigerians that the PDP as a Party, do not have any crisis nor do we have any division within the leadership structure of our Party which could justify the Decision of the Two House of Representatives Members to jump ship.

” In the light of this, we wish to inform all Nigerians and the leadership of the National Assembly, most especially, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Yakubu Dogara that the Duo of Hon. Ahmed Tijani from Kogi State and Zaphaniah Jisalo from the FCT who announced their defection from our Party to the Ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have embarked on illegal acts, contrary to the Provisions of the Nigerian Constitution”, it said.

The PDP described the excuses for defecting from the two lawmakers as vague, cooked up and purely irrelevant to any section of the Nigerian Constitution.

“We thus expect and demand, that the Honourable Speaker and the Body of Principal Officers of the House of Representatives, act in accordance with the Oath of allegiance they took to defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by immediately ensuring that the Seats of these defectors are declared vacant” the opposition PDP said.

It added, “In the face of tyranny that is gradually creeping on the Nation, the least the leadership of the National Assembly – the Greatest Beacon of Democracy can do, is to stick with the Rule of Law and uphold the dictates of the Constitution without fear or favour, without considering allegiance to any political affiliation.

“As a political Party, we stand by the patriotic and constitutional position taken by Hon. Yakubu Barde from Kaduna
and that of Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai from Delta State who stood against the dastardly act which these former members of our Party exhibited in the Chambers of the House of Representatives when their supposed letters of defections were read out by Speaker Dogara to whom the letters were submitted.

“We expect nothing aside a noble support by the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the Rule of Law, and we say loud and clear that there is no division whatsoever in our Party, the PDP that would have served as justification for the defections announced by the Two Members in the Chamber.

“For clarity purpose, the Supreme Court, the Highest Court in this Nation, has decided in a landmark Judgement delivered on July 12, 2017, that there is no leadership crisis in the PDP and as such, the Party under the acceptable leadership of the National Caretaker Committee (NCC) is the only leadership recognized by law as the authentic leadership of the PDP”.

The opposition party pointed out clearly that anyone who announces any defection from the PDP, citing any sort of internal crisis is being a liar.

“Based on the foregoing, we demand the immediate declaration of the Seats of Hon Ahmed Tijani from Kogi State and Zaphaniah Jisalo from the FCT, vacant,” it said.