Posted by By MARIAM ALESHINLOYE AGBOOLA, JOS on
The first Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party and now leader of the splinter group of the party, Chief Solomon Lar, has described an interim government after the present administration as illegal.....
The first Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party and now leader of the splinter group of the party, Chief Solomon Lar, has described an interim government after the present administration as illegal and unconstitutional, saying its proponents are ignorant of the provision of the constitution under a democratic government.
He said in an interview with journalists in Jos that there is no provision in the constitution for any interim government and people should stop touting the idea because it can never happen.
'Those calling for it are ignorant of the fact that we are operating under a constitution and we are a democratic country. We must therefore believe in the sustainance of democracy and hold allegiance to the constitution," he said.
He urged Nigeria not to have any doubt about a change of baton next year, insisting that 2007 must be a reality because that is the position of the constitution, adding that anything contrary will be illegal.
As one of the founding fathers of the PDP, Chief Lar, however, said it was agreed in the party that power must shift to the North in 2007.
According to him, ' I was number one, I was head deep, neck deep, feet deep in the agreement that power must shift to the north come 2007."
He said those calling for power to shift to other areas were not there when the agreement was reached in 1999 that power should go to the South and after sometime, it should come to the North, adding that it was agreed that power should be in the South for eight years, then it can come back to the North for eight years.
Speaking on the authencity of his own faction of the PDP, he insisted that his faction is the authentic one and should not be called a faction of the party. 'I love the PDP and I cannot leave it," he reiterated.
According to Lar, those of them that formed the party are still in it and it is just unfortunate that some strangers are now trying to hijack the party from the owners. He said the founding fathers are watching developments in the party and when they are fully back in control, they will put things right.
While agreeing that there are reconciliation moves within the party, he said for the move to be sincere, it must involve every facet of the party.
He maintained that the last has not been heard about the case between his group and that of Ahmadu Ali-led faction of the party .
He said they are appealing against the judgement of the lower court and the judgemnt on the appeal would come up on September 25.