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By Olalekan Saliu
Peoples Democratic Party senators have warned that any attempt to cause crisis in the National Assembly through possible attempt to remove Senate President Bukola Saraki will be met with stiff opposition.
The warning which is coming ahead of their resumption on September 25 was directed at the All Progressives Congress, APC, which has continued to insist on the ouster of Saraki as Senate President following his defection to PDP.
The warning was given in a statement jointly signed by Senators Isa Misau and Rafiu Ibrahim.
“Many people who are grandstanding now do not care how history will record their roles. Which of the decisions that are now being criticised did the APC pretenders in the Senate oppose? Of the 10-man Senate leadership, five of them are in APC. Those who enjoy privileges in the Senate now look the other way when the Presidency is complaining.
“We will, however, warn the APC that they will meet a match in those of us in the PDP if they try to foment trouble in the Senate whenever we resume,” the legislators said.
They said that it was unfortunate that the APC and government had devoted so much time condemning Saraki over the failure of the government.
According to them, the situation would have been different if they had concentrated on how to improve the situation in the country.
Said the legislators: “It is also the first time a ruling party will plan to hoodwink Nigerians by saying everything wrong under its watch is due to the action and inaction of one man.
“APC has devoted all the time and knowledge of their national chairman, national leader, publicity secretary, four senators and two presidential aides to the daily abuse of Saraki, such that it appears as if Saraki is the only politician in Nigeria today.
“If these individuals devote the energy they are exerting on Saraki to finding solutions to the security problem, economic crisis and collapse of infrastructure, among others, they will come out with some action plan, except they are only skilful in mischief-making.”
The legislators argued further: “The laws that have been signed by the President and which led to the World Bank improving the rating of Nigeria in the Ease of Doing Business Report; the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill which broke the jinx of over 14 years on the law, the progressive Constitution amendment bills, the five anti-corruption laws, and many others, as well as the fact that the 8th Senate has done better than the previous ones in terms of number of bills passed, the petitions successfully treated and the various interventions: will all these be credited to Saraki and not the entire Senate? You blame a man for what an institution lawfully did.”
• Source: The Next Edition.