10th Senate: Political leaders reject Tambuwal’s minority leadership bid

A cross-section of political leaders, under the aegis of Citizens Network for Peace and Development in Nigeria (CNPDN), at the weekend rejected moves by certain elements to impose former Sokoto state Governor, Waziri Tambuwal as Minority Leader of the 10th Senate.

The leaders who are mainly kinsmen of former President Goodluck Jonathan also raised the alarm about plans by some aggrieved senators to create crisis in the upper chamber.

Zeroing in on the former governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the political leaders described him as a “desperate and serial political betrayer”, who frustrated President Goodluck Jonathan as President and betrayed Tinubu in 2011 after he emerged Speaker of the House of Representatives”.

“We totally reject the scheming of Tambuwal and Co, geared towards high-jacking the leadership of the minority parties in the Senate for selfish and destructive purposes. Tambuwal should not be allowed to emerge as the minority leader of the Senate because of his antecedents of selfish and acrimonious politics,” said the leaders who spoke through the National Secretary of the Forum, Francis Okereke Wainwei.

They said Tambuwal and some senators are trying to recreate the acrimonious relationships between the National Assembly and the Executive that rocked the boat of governance in the past, and which greatly slowed down governance and negatively affected the effectiveness of those administrations.

The leaders however called for calm, but vowed to expose the lawmakers if they continue to push with their threats.

This is even as they called on the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio to intervene and facilitate a befitting burial for the late President of the Senate, Joseph Wayas.

The political leaders said the late Wayas was the President of Nigeria’s Senate from 1979-1983.

“We are hereby appealing to Akpabio, President of the 10th Senate to intervene in the matter and resolve whatever challenges that have led to this unnecessary delay in giving our revered former Senate President a befitting burial.

“We are incurably optimistic that our uncommon transformational leader will heed our call and do the needful,” the leaders appealed.

Speaking on plans by aggrieved opposition senators to disturb the peace of the Senate, Wainwei said such moves will be counterproductive.

He said the aggrieved senators were the ones who worked against the collective interest of the nation, when Akpabio was endorsed by the ruling All Progressives Congress APC.

The leaders noted that the senators were the ones behind the candidature of Abdulaziz Yari for Senate President and have vowed to continue pursuing their “unpatriotic, selfish and parochial interests by teaming up with the major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, to frustrate the leadership of the 10th Senate, even after losing out in a free and fair elections conducted in the public glare at the Senate.”

He warned them to refrain from “distracting the leadership of the Senate and allow it to focus on working harmoniously with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to deliver quality and life-transforming projects and programmes to alleviate the pathetic plight of the long-suffering masses of this country. The era of politics is over and therefore, they should accept their defeat in good faith and give peace a chance.

“They can still contribute in enhancing the legislative process by making informed, robust and well-researched contributions on the floor of the Senate and In committee sessions, if their desire to take over the leadership of the Senate is purely a patriotic one