Seeming Inability of APC to Manage Its Crisis Will Hinder Change in Nigeria – Ladoja | Vows Supports For The Trial of Saraki
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| Ladoja |
Ladoja, who gave the warning in a chat with journalists in Ibadan at the weekend, called on the All Progressives Congress, APC, to sit-up and resolve the in-fighting and power tussle within its ranks in order not to cause unnecessary distraction for President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the prolonged period of being in opposition may be affecting APC such that its members were finding it difficult to reach consensus on many issues, and resort to attacking themselves.
According to him, the crisis rocking the National Assembly has led to underperformance through constant recess while the lawmakers continue to earn salaries and allowances for work not done.
Ladoja maintained that Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was able to manage its crisis in House of Representatives under Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, wondering on the seeming inability of APC to manage its crisis.
Warning that any attempt to shop for the replacement of the embattled Senate President, Bukola Saraki’s successor by the ruling party will further deepen the crisis in the Senate, Ladoja said the fact that majority of National Assembly members were at the Code of Conduct Bureau during the docking of the Senate President showed the House is already divided against itself.
He however described the trial of Saraki as democracy in practice, urging Nigerians to allow the Senate President defend himself.
He said, “The National Assembly has to put its house in order before its members can do anything at all. How many days have they been on holiday just because they know their house is not in order, but at the same time their allowances and salaries go on? When you get to government after long years in the opposition, you will be attacking yourselves until people remind you that you are now in government. I think what is happening is ‘if you Tambuwal me, I will Saraki you.’
“PDP was able to manage its crisis under Tambuwal. But it seems APC are unable to manage their own crisis. As long as they continue to create tension, nothing will come out of the National Assembly. Nearly all the senators were at the Code of Conduct Tribunal. So the house is already polarised. I think the President should sit down and say I am the president. He told us that he can work with anybody and I still believe him.
“The trial of Saraki is democracy at work, but we have to wait until the end of the case if indeed he is guilty or not. If APC shops for successor now, the house may be plunged into further katakata because it was not only Saraki that left PDP to APC. Others will say if they can do this to Saraki, then it can be done to them too. They can return to the PDP where they think they will be comfortable.”