LP berates APC for ‘endangering democracy with godfatherism

The Labour Party, LP, has come hard on the All Progressives Congress, APC, for overheating the polity and endangering the nation’s democracy following the governing party’s alleged mishandling of the leadership crisis rocking the National Assembly.

While urging the APC to “stop endangering democracy with ‘godfatherism’ and imposition syndrome,” it described last Thursday’s exchange of blows by members of the House of Representatives over the sharing of principal offices as shameful and embarrassing.

National Chairman of LP, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, who made this known in Abuja while interacting with news hounds, insisted that the leadership of the APC should respect
the tenets of democracy

According to him, “The Labour Party has observed that since the APC took over the reins of government as the ruling party, especially in the two chambers of the National Assembly, there has been one crisis or another. We are disturbed, concerned and getting embarrassed that the image being given to Nigeria and Nigerians by those claiming to be agents of change is portraying us in bad light before the international community.

“It is not in our character to be rowdy, violent and destructive, to the extent that Nigeria is at a standstill, crossroads and in a state of uncertainty; but what happened today (Thursday) in the House of Representatives was shameful and an eye sore. Because of a lack of adequate planning and foresight, the issue of National Assembly leadership has been reduced to sectional and religious divide at the expense of political astuteness and responsible leadership,” he stated.

Observing that the APC has been governing as if it found itself in the present position unexpectedly,
Abdulsalam maintained that it was not fair for the APC leadership to impair the change they promised Nigerians.

His words, “Did it not occur to the APC
that since President Muhammadu Buhari sent a letter of proclamation
to the Clerk of National Assembly, which was slated for 10am and at
the same time scheduled another meeting with APC elected lawmakers,
coinciding with the National Assembly proclamation, that the PDP
could exploit the situation, being the master of game of
deceit?

“What if the PDP had elected their own
members that formed quorum as leaders? It would definitely not be
possible to sack them as the APC cannot get the two-third required
by law to do so,” said the LP chairman.