The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa has denied all allegations that some members of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC at the house are planning to defect to the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party PDP.
Hon. Alhassan Doguwa in a statement issued to Daily News 24 said the claim which was made by the House Minority Leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu is “spurious and specious”.
The Majority Leader said: “My attention has just been drawn to a spurious and specious claim of Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, the Minority leader, House of Representatives that some imaginary members of the ruling party have met with him to discuss their desire to join the sinking opposition party.”
“My immediate reaction was to ignore this delusion, but because of the consideration for unsuspecting and innocent members of our great party and constituents who we represent at the House of Representatives, we owe them this clarification.
“It is a fact that there was an executive session of the House, which was indeed convened by the leadership for the sole purpose of further discussions about the ways out of the insecurity situation in the country.” He added.
Mr. Doguwa further noted that: “Members across the partisan divide were too busy and occupied with the sense of duty and obligation to our nation’s well-being to have time for parochial and narrow prism thought of thinking about partisan politics and membership recruitment.
My recent meeting with Senator Gaya was in discharge of an official APC assignment – Alhassan Doguwa
“It, therefore, remains a curious slant that Hon Ndudi Elumelu in the heat of the current situation does not have the presence of mind to face squarely the matter that affects every Nigerian rather opting to embark on a voyage of political philandering of looking for new Members for an opposition party that is like a sinking ship beyond salvage.
“It clearly shows the kind of opposition we unfortunately have, if the minority leader will want to use the meeting of their party to announce non-existent news of phantom members of the ruling party that wants to decamp to a party in dire straits bereft of solutions to a national, non-partisan problem, that is traceable to their abdication of responsibility when the issue should have been nipped at the bud at its infancy when the opposition party held sway.” He added.
Hon. Doguwa insisted that the claim by the Minority Leader “remains a figment of his warped imagination and that of his co-travelers on that infamous wishful thinking journey.”
The Majority Leader added that: “..with all emphasis members of the All Progressives Congress are focused, too united, determined and fully committed to working with the President, Commander in Chief, President Mohammadu Buhari GCFR, and standing in one accord with all Nigerians at this time to find a lasting solution to the challenge of insecurity that does not recognize partisan tendencies.
“We believe that working together with the leadership of the House of Representatives, under the leadership of Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, who only recently in his unprecedented but pragmatic manner had pushed concrete legislative support actions to stem the tide of the insecurity challenges, ranging from appreciation and acknowledgment of our compatriots in uniform on the battlefield to fast-tracking appropriation, among others.
The Sardauna of Gaya reiterated the commitment of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila in setting up of “a non-partisan broad-spectrum, special Adhoc committee on security.”
“The committee is currently working out the modalities to hold a week-long crucial security Summit, where statesmen, security chiefs, and other relevant stakeholders will converge to proffer solutions to the rather the unfortunate lingering security problems bedeviling our country.” He said.
“Without doubts, we shall be counted as an integral and veritable partner and component that worked to defeat this national challenge, and when we do, which will be soon with all reasonable hands on deck.
“This is our sacred commitment as Members of the All Progressives Congress in the 9th House of Representatives beyond the lousy tendencies of a sinking opposition party.” He added.