Despite the moves by the presidency to put its house in order by setting up a peace panel, fresh fats emerging indicates that there are strong moves by the Peoples Democratic Party to soon suspend the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, over his association with the opposition All Progressives Congress.
Investigations revealed that the party’s National Working Committee had started compiling a list of what a chieftain who spoke to reporters described as Tambuwal’s “many sins.”
In addition to compiling the list, the party has placed the Speaker under watch to monitor his “future anti-party activities.”
Our correspondents gathered that senior party officials were displeased with the Speaker’s “open romance with the APC” and his presence at a rally organised by the suspended Sokoto State Governor, Aliyu Wamakko, on Wednesday.
The PDP had recently suspended Wamakko and his Rivers State counterpart, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, for indiscipline.
Wamakko was suspended a forthnight ago for allegedly disrespecting the PDP National Chairman, Dr. Bamanga Tukur.
At the rally organised by Wamakko in Sokoto, Tambuwal had described Wamakko’s suspension as unconstitutional.
The Speaker said the suspension was “unconstitutional and (a) self-serving decision taken through undemocratic means.”
The chieftain, who is a member of the PDP NWC, said the leadership of the party considered the Speaker’s speech as an act of indiscipline.
He added that Tambuwal’s appearance and the speech at the rally were considered by the PDP hierarchy as the climax of his anti-party activities.
He stated that the party would have overlooked Tambuawal’s “latest sin,” but decided to move against him because of his “growing misdeeds.”
Among the listed anti-party activities, was his emergence as the Speaker of the House of Representatives two years ago.
The party had tipped the current Majority Leader of the House, Mrs. Mulikat Adeola, for the post and had asked Tambuwal to step aside.
But Tambuwal, who had the support of the opposition and some PDP members, went ahead to contest the election and eventually defeated his party’s candidate.
The party is also said to be angry with the Speaker because of his presence at the launch of Opon Imo, the initiative of the Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, in Osogbo.
Tambuwal was said to have lauded Aregbesola, who is a member of the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria, for his achievements in the last three years.
The Osun State PDP chapter, in its reaction to the Speaker’s comment, had urged Tukur to correct him.
The state PDP Chairman, Mr. Ganiyu Olaoluwa, said Tambuwal’s comment was unbecoming of a national leader of the party.
Olaoluwa, who condemned Tambuwal’s visit to the state, noted that the actions of the Speaker raised posers as to whether he “is a member of the PDP or a supporter of Aregbesola.”
When contacted on the PDP’s moves to suspend Tambuwal, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, said that the ruling party would refrain from “washing its dirty linen in public.”
He said it would rely more on its internal mechanisms in dealing with issues.