Following the defection of Speaker of House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP was at a loss over how best to compel its members of the House to face this challenge.
Leading members of the party hierarchy, who pleaded for anonymity for fear of retribution, confirmed the party’s dilemma.
They noted that the timing of the speaker’s defection made things difficult for the party because it happened at a time the party could not guarantee any of its members in the House an automatic ticket.
A member of the National Working a Committee of the party, who spoke with one of our correspondents also on the condition of anonymity, said they would rather support the Presidency in dealing with Tambuwal.
He said the party was already considering a scenario whereby some of its aggrieved members would return after the party’s primaries and pit their tents with Tambuwal if they lose out.
He said, “But we are also not resting on our oars. We will win more and lose few, we know how to deal with the situation.”
Asked to expatiate on how the party intends to deal with the situation, he said the party would go to court and challenge the defection and also work on the other members of the leadership of the House to see if they could muster enough courage to recall members of the House.
Another source said that the Federal Government and the party would not want Tambuwal to preside over the House during the debate on the 2015 budget.
Besides, he said the speaker could again use the opportunity to lambast President Goodluck Jonathan and the government for alleged poor implementation of the 2014 budget.
“You know he likes playing to the gallery. Even while he was with us in the PDP, he usually attacks the party and the Federal Government. The situation would be worse now that he has left us,” the source added.
It was also gathered that the party and the government was already working on Ihedioha with the hope of asking him to give a brief summary of the House finance.
The plan, it was gathered, was to refer the matter, if the books “are not clean enough,” to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission with a view of getting the speaker arrested.
It was also gathered that the party and the government was also considering how to frustrate his alleged governorship ambition in Sokoto State.
But up till Friday evening, the national leadership of the PDP claimed it was not aware of the withdrawal of the security details of Tambuwal.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh, stated this in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja.
When told that the police boss had issued a statement to that effect, he said he had not read it.
Metuh said, “When did it happen? Today? I’m not aware. I have not read the statement anywhere and therefore I cannot comment on it.”
However, the opposition All Progressives Party is not resting on its oars and is preparing to do “battle” to protect the speaker.
The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Lai Mohammed, said, “This level of impunity by the PDP-led administration will certainly not go unchallenged. I assure you.”.