Posted by By JAMES OJO, Abuja on
Members of the House of Representatives yesterday described as humiliating and protested against the treatment allegedly meted out to the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole at the NEC meeting of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] on Monday.
Members of the House of Representatives yesterday described as humiliating and protested against the treatment allegedly meted out to the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole at the NEC meeting of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] on Monday.
While the Senate President, David Mark was allowed into a caucus meeting at the National Secretariat of the PDP, the speaker was asked to excuse the meeting, a development that embarrassed the speaker and other members present for the NEC meeting.
Reacting to the development, the leadership of the House summoned a caucus meeting of the PDP after the Tuesday's plenary, where events at the NEC meeting and what would be the position of the House during the national convention fixed for March 8, 2008 were discussed.
Although, spokesman of the House, Hon Ezuiche Ubani confirmed that preparations towards the March convention dominated discussions at the closed-door meeting, Daily Sun gathered that members reacted with anger to the humiliation of the speaker.
Ubani said that members were asked to return to their wards to begin preparations for the national convention.
He denied that the House had endorsed one of the aspirants campaigning for the chairmanship position, saying that the issue of candidate for any position did not form part of discussion at the meeting.
'No, not at all, we did not discuss who to vote for as chairman, we discussed issues that would make the convention a success, so that at the end of the day, everybody will be satisfied with the outcome of the convention, so that our own internal process, the constitution, the processes of voting and others are observed for us to have a stronger party.
'As members of the House, a caucus of about 260 members, we feel that we have something tangible to contribute to achieve success and for everybody to begin from the ward to state levels, to national level and see that we observed our internal rules and statues promptly, so that at the end of the convention, we will have a stronger party devoid of rancour and those divisions that make PDP unnecessarily rancorous, these are some of the issues that came up," Ubani said.
It was, however, gathered that members resolved to stand behind the speaker in any attempt to humiliate him by any group trying to force their choice on the party before and after the convention.
'I want to confide in you that the issue of speaker's humiliation came up for discussion, we all pledged our loyalty to him that where ever he is going, we will follow him.
'To those who thought they can for whatever reasons humiliate him, they are digging their own grave because we have the number to humiliate them.
'I can assure you of a block vote for the chairmanship candidate endorsed by the speaker, it is then they would realize that Bankole is speaker of the House and not that of PDP," a member said on condition of anonymity.
He said that those who think that they can harass the speaker on account of age or experience would be doing so at their own political peril, adding that the speaker was enjoying the support of majority of members in PDP and the opposition parties.
'An injury to Bankole is an injury to every member of the House. This is the way we viewed what happened to him at our party secretariat on Monday," he added.