Sustainable Democracy Agenda (SUDA), a pressure group, has urged Adams Oshiomhole-led All Progressives Congress (APC) to remain resolute on its endorsement of Sen. Ahmed Lawan and Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila as Senate President and Speaker of House of representatives.
The Convener of the group, Malam Ibrahim Usman, gave the advice in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
The group urged the leadership of APC and President Muhammadu Buhari not to cave in to the pressure of those it described as “pretenders to the throne’ that are willing to compromise party supremacy on the altar of selfish interest.
“The APC leadership must not rein in few of its members that are hobnobbing with the opposition to rubbish its hard-fought election victory.
“The last time the APC ‘played it cool’ the party and by implication, the masses, paid dearly in terms of legislative sabotage that truncated delivery of dividends of democracy to the people by the Buhari administration.”
According to the group, timely intervention of the leadership of the APC in charting a direction for the emergence of presiding officers for the two chambers of the National Assembly is a welcome development.
“As a group that is interested in the growth of democracy all over Africa, SUDA commends the proactive approach of the Oshiomhole led APC in ensuring lawmakers elected on the platform of the majority party avoid a division that could be devastating to the progress of democracy and good governance in Nigeria.
“By this decision, the party has effectively moved away from the indecision of 2015, which led to the power tussle that affected the productivity of the present Senate.
The group therefore called on the APC leadership to continue dialogue with all its senators-elect to bring all of them on board towards actualisation of this resolution.
It also stressed the need for APC to monitor the activities of its members that may seek to jeopardise its resolve at consolidating its majority in the legislature.
“SUDA is against any move at reenacting the 2015 scenario, which didn’t augur well for growth of democracy in the country.’’
“SUDA also call on the APC anointed candidates, Sen. Ahmed Lawan and Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, not to relent in reaching out to all senators and members elect, including those of the opposition towards engendering a stable and democratically productive 9th national assembly.”
“The group advised all incoming senators and members of House of Representatives to key into the Lawan and Gbajabiamila project and own it as a way of creating a united atmosphere needed for actualisation of their collective and individual legislative agenda.
“Rebellion as has been seen in the 8thnational assembly only lead to self-destruction and institutional retrogression,” the group said. (NAN)