BY EDMOND ODOK – Human Rights Activist and former lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has challenged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stop the ‘rebellious’ Integrity Group, popularly called G-5, from hijacking the minority leadership slots in the 10th National Assembly (NASS).
According to Sani, who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the eighth Senate, gifting such liberty to the former Governor Nyesom Wike-led G-5 group would further paralyse and spell doom for the PDP as Nigeria’s main opposition party.
Senator Sani made the submission in an Arise Television interview, saying; “The main opposition PDP has to be careful because if they allow those who call themselves G-5 to have an agent who is going to be the minority leader, they have simply surrendered the role they are supposed to play in the National Assembly for the next four years.”
He claimed the former Rivers State governor is desperately craving relevance in the present dispensation and should be stopped to avoid inflicting further damage on PDP as an opposition Party in the country.
Maintaining that the 10th Assembly needs vibrancy in the minority leadership of its members, Senator Sani, who contested currently a member of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) further said; “Naturally, a parliament is supposed to work in partnership with the executive but in the last four years, we have seen the legislature become an appendage of the ruling party.”
For him, it was unfortunate that the Ahmad Lawan-led ninth Senate simply became lame-duck and willingly approved anything that was thrown at them by the President without any restraint.
The ex-lawmaker however hoped that given comments coming from the new Senate President, the National Assembly would focus on striking a balance between partnering with the Executive and protecting the sanctity of the parliament by working for Nigerians.
He said such arrangement would be the best of Nigeria, but expressed reservations that there are worrying signs the lawmakers seem to be positioning both chambers in a way that could make the NASS pliant to the whims and caprices of the Executive arm.
The bold-speaking activist cautioned that Nigerians do not want “a stooge in the opposition as far as the leadership of the National Assembly is concerned.”
Also weighing in on the issue, lawmaker representing Osun East, Senator Francis Fadahunsi said the PDP is yet to make any bold statement about the minority Leadership positions.
However, he said with the way things are currently panning out in the polity and the National Assembly, it would be unfair to gift the North-West geo-political zone another position after it has already pocketed the Deputy Senate President and the Speaker, House of Representatives seats.
“The minority caucus of the Senate has not met and no one has been picked for the position. But the North-West cannot get Deputy Senate President, Speaker and you will still give them a minority leader. Are they the only zone available?”, the Osun East lawmaker queried.
