NASS Crisis: APC State Chairmen denounce Odigie-Oyegun

*Another party may emerge – Hassan Saliu Kwara Representatives at the lower house of the National Assembly and stakeholders in the state have continued to react to the leadership crisis that has rocked the All Progressives Congress (APC) since it assumed its ruling party status. The issue assumed another dimension last week at the plenary of the House of Representative when members loyal to different caucuses in the APC engaged in a free for all that has since attracted sharp condemnation from political watchers across the country. In their separate chats with this medium, Professor Hassan Soliu, lawmakers representing Ifelodun/Offa/Oyun and Ilorin East/South, Honourable Tope Olayonu and Honourable Amuda Kannike, respectively warned on the likely consequences of the lingering impasse and where the party might have got it wrong. According to Professor Hassan Soliu, the crisis may degenerate and snowball to its disintegration if the APC failed to manage it effectively. Saliu, a Professor of Political Science at the University of Ilorin, advised the party to keep on talking since the principal members of the tussle are all APC but warned that it should not think the “whole world” would collapse because of the happenings at the National Assembly. On the issue of party supremacy and House extant rules dichotomy between the party and some members, Soliu, who said the issue is not new in the country, noted that party supremacy is not absolutely feasible in a presidential system of government being practised in Nigeria. He further warned that the hard line posture being exhibited by the parties involved might not work at the end of the day and might lead to the formation of another party. “The party should keep on talking and be careful in the process because all these hard line postures might not work at the end of the day. “Party supremacy is neither here nor there in the context of the presidential system we are practising now. What this means is that undiluted party supremacy is not feasible except only during parliamentary system. “What is happening now is not new. Even in the UPN days, there were a number of times that late Chief Awolowo took certain decisions against the party which some members caused the reversal of such decisions. “APC should not be thinking as if the whole world would collapse because certain things happened at the National Assembly. What is expected is for them to talk to the operators and get it sorted out. “The (it might appear) the time is still there for the party to get its acts together but I am afraid there is no more time available for the APC. The party must come to the reality of the situation that Senator Bukola Saraki, Yakubu Dogara, Ali Ndume, among others (in this issue) are all members of the APC. “They should come together and iron it out, otherwise I foresee a situation where a new party will emerge from the crisis”, he submitted. According to Hon Tope Olayonu, who lamented the marginalisation of the North Central and South-South in the party’s sharing of positions, the party can only be supreme when it plays by the rules and unpopular when it tries to practice imposition at the expense of the members. Whether the APC likes it or not, Olayonu said people’s wish should supersede the interest of the party because “everybody in the National Assembly got voted by their people, who also have the interest they represent. If the party is supreme, it is people that formed the party and not machines and not one political zone”. Describing the show of shame at the House of Representatives on Thursday as unfortunate, the former Kwara Assembly law maker noted that this is a new era in the political development of the country and the change slogan, which was the thrust of APC’s campaign must start from somewhere. “We have gone past leadership of imposition but now in the era of change and the change must start somewhere. Honourable members should be able to nominate who should govern them. What we need now is not someone who will be a stooge to somebody but one to whom the interest of the country is paramount”, he added. Similarly, Abubakar Kannike emphasised the importance of maintaining status quo and seeking members' approval in sharing positions in the house. Kannike, who spoke with this medium at the Ilorin International Airport while reacting to the House of Representatives fracas on Thursday, described as unfortunate “the crisis situation within the APC caucus." “There are laid down rules that allow members of the majority party choose their principal officers and not the party executives to dictate for the house. The party. which is the mother of everybody at that platform was supposed to diplomatically discuss the matter with members in a family manner. “The North-Central, which produced over 50 members for the House was not given any principal position by the party and nobody cares about