Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal is about to make a major political mistake that could just catapult him to the abyss of irrelevance. Abyss, that cold room of irrelevance in the scheme of happenings in and around governance, has had many miscalculating politicians of yore permanently sentenced there.
At times, some relief by way of political rehabilitation from some divinely-sent benefactor comes the way of a few so benched in the loathsome arena of failed politicians.
The not-so-lucky among them slide further down from the abyss to history books where perhaps, some scholars could get to read about them some day. Worst case scenario: the life and times of such persons may never get to be documented or read. But the foregoing must not be the portion of Tambuwal.
In the beginning…
Tambuwal’s body language right from his very first day as Speaker had always indicated that he is a man that is only a nominal PDP member; at heart, his bent and political preference is diametrically opposite.
And in the last years of his leadership of the Green Chamber, the Speaker has never hidden his antagonism to the party on whose back he rode to limelight, given his ritual of decamping from one political party to the other like the proverbial gold digger. For instance, it would be recalled that Speaker Tambuwal left the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, in Sokoto when the party was no longer popular in the state to join PDP on whose platform he became Speaker. But his restless political life saw him mingling, wining and dining with the vociferous opposition who would do anything to slam his party.
At every opportunity that presents itself, especially those organised by the opposition political amalgam, APC, Tambuwal would make a public show of the PDP, its leadership and programmes. In spite of all the channels he has within the party to offer his advice and suggestions for an improved PDP, he would always like the typical comedian, do the unthinkable with the opposition and moments later, run under the PDP umbrella to explain why he did what he did. There is no better definition for disloyalty enabled by deliberate disrespects for the party, Tambuwal’s legendary denials notwithstanding.
For instance, the reported defection of no fewer than 37 members of the House to APC last month, could not have been without Tambuwal’s nod given his antecedents.
Last weekend, snippets of his hidden agenda became public. And at press time, the rumour of the Speaker’s planned defection to APC next week was so strong that his aides found difficulty in either acknowledging or denying the move.
While his special adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Imam Imam dismissed the story as mere speculation, another aide to the Speaker did not only confirm the story but said that he would decamp alongside other members loyal to him.
“Yes, I can confirm to you that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal will next Tuesday decamp to the APC when the House resumes sitting. This is authentic and I can also tell you that he is decamping with some other members of the House who are loyal to him,” the aide said.
However, Imam Imam insisted that the story is not true saying: “You know my oga as he does his things. If such a big thing is happening he should have by now made it known to people like you. As far as I am concerned, I am hearing this from you and it is mere speculation.”
Hurdles ahead
One may not be considered the right person to counsel Tambuwal and his fellow PDP lawmakers in the House on this, but they must note the following obvious huddles ahead of their defection bid.
Last October, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, refused to recognise the then Baraje-led faction of the PDP.
The commission in a letter with reference number INEC /LEG/PDP/19/111.25 dated October 2, 2013 and signed by the acting secretary of the commission, U.F Usman, insisted on the team led by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as the authentic leadership of the National Working Committee of the party. The INEC letter was a reply to Mr. Baraje’s faction’s letter to the commission, in which it notified the commission on the “change of leadership” within the party.
“The commission will not withdraw recognition from the leadership of the PDP elected at the election duly monitored by the commission.”
Then on Friday, October 18, 2013 a Federal High Court in Abuja declared that the Bamanga Tukur-led National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was the authentic leadership of the party. The court, therefore, ordered the Kawu Baraje-led ‘New PDP’ to desist from parading itself as a parallel faction of the ruling party.
Justice Evoh Chukwu in a judgment held that by virtue of sections 222 and 223 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as well as section 80 of the Electoral Act 2011 and section 49 of the PDP constitution, Baraje group cannot ask him to nullify the election of the Tukur-led PDP election held on August 31, 2013 in a special convention held at the Eagle Square Abuja.
Consequently, Justice Chukwu ruled that Baraje’s group was not entitled to lay claim to the leadership of the party, since they were not elected at the said convention, which he (Chukwu) said is valid.
The court too has ordered parties to maintain the status quo ante on the PDP matter. On December 19, 2013, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja granted an interlocutory injunction restraining the PDP, its chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the Senate president and Speaker of House of Representatives from declaring the seats of the defecting federal lawmakers to the All Progressives Congress vacant.
“It is hereby ordered as follows: The 2nd and 3rd Defendants should be asked to maintain status quo on any proposed deliberation to declare the seats of the affected and interested Plaintiffs vacant, at least, pending the hearing and determination of the Plaintiffs motion for interlocutory injunction.” The case was adjourned to 22nd of January, 2014 for hearing.
Questions
If INEC has declared PDP as united under Tukur and the courts have ordered the maintenance of the status quo ante in the ruling party pending the determination of the substantive matter, wouldn’t it amount to contempt should Tambuwal defect given the alleged stance of his cohorts that there is already a crisis in PDP when INEC that should know thinks otherwise? As a lawyer himself, is the Speaker not aware of these deeper implications of his peculiar politics? Questions, questions and more questions!