Mu’azu can stabilise PDP, says Tambuwal

News By Punch:    Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, has expressed confidence that the new National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Adamu Mu’azu, can stabilise the party.

Speaking against the backdrop of defections to opposition parties, Tambuwal said it was sad that the ruling PDP lost five of its sitting governors to the All Progressives Congress.He also reaffirmed his stand that he remained a staunch member of the PDP, despite the crisis in the party. The Speaker had for some time been sighted hobnobbing with the leadership of the APC at different forums, while he was also reported to have shunned some of PDP’s major events lately. However, speaking on Tuesday shortly after an empowerment programme organised by the member representing Biase/Akamkpa Federal Constituency, Mr. Daniel Asuquo, in Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State, Tambuwal said Mu’azu had the capacity to right all the wrongs in the PDP.

The Speaker noted that the recent gale of defections was not in one direction, adding that the PDP and Labour Party were also receiving defected members of opposition parties. He said, “Despite the political crisis rocking the PDP, I remain a member of the party. Defection is of two sides: some members are defecting to PDP, while others are defecting to another party. Just recently, a member of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria defected to the Labour Party and members of other parties defected to PDP.

Also reacting to the ultimatum given to him to declare his 2015 governorship ambition for the PDP in Sokoto State, Tambuwal said he did not have immediate intention to declare his next political move. He said he would declare his ambition when the time was ripe.

Speaking on the empowerment programme, Tambuwal urged the electorate to continue to drum up support for Asuquo for his giant strides in alleviating poverty in his constituency. Meanwhile, a former National Chairman of the PDP,  Senator Ahmadu Ali, has  called on  all tiers of government to avoid abandoning ongoing projects of their successors.

Stating that abandoned projects were a waste of public funds, he called for the prudential management of public resources. He spoke  in Lokoja on Tuesday at a   Town Hall meeting to mark the second anniversary of  the Governor of Kogi State, Captain Idris Wada (retd.).