PDP Lawmakers Demand Automatic Ticket To Impeach Tambuwal [Report]

Attempts by the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the presidency to impeach Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, took a new dimension over the weekend as members of the party’s caucus in the House resolved not to proceed with the move unless given automatic return tickets by the party, Daily Trust learnt in Abuja yesterday.

Tambuwal had last Tuesday dumped the PDP for the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) and adjourned sitting to December 3, a move that didn’t go down well with the PDP and the presidency who are now pushing for his removal as speaker.

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday, summoned a meeting of the party’s stakeholders including the national chairman Adamu Mu’azu, chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Godswill Akpabio, deputy speaker Emeka Ihedioha and House leader, Mulikat Adeola-Akande at the presidential villa where a decision was said to have been taken to oust Tambuwal.

Security details attached to the speaker have been withdrawn which prompted Tambuwal to file a legal action in the Federal High Court, Abuja on Friday.

Consequently, Mulikat was said to have summoned a meeting of the 160-PDP members in the House where she intimated them of the party’s directives on them to reconvene the House and subsequently impeach the Speaker.

Daily Trust however gathered that the lawmakers resolved during their meeting over the weekend in Abuja that the party ‘must guarantee their return tickets before they can move against Tambuwal,’ the source said.

“Very few of us are sure of returning to the House because our governors have already pencilled down those that will take over our seats, therefore, we decided that if the party wants us to impeach the Speaker, it must as a matter of necessity also give us automatic return tickets,” a ranking PDP member who asked not to be named said.

“We are also insisting that we won’t sign for the House to reconvene until the issue of our tickets is sorted out by the party,” another said.
The source said the 160 of them are billed to meet with the party’s national working committee at the Wadata Plaza in Abuja by 8pm today where they will table their request to the national chairman, Mu’azu.

Already, a text message inviting the PDP MPs has been circulated by the House Leader Adeola-Akande and it reads thus: “There will be a crucial meeting of the above caucus on Monday 3rd November, 2014 at 8pm, venue will be the PDP party secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja.”

Meanwhile, Daily Trust gathered that the APC caucus in the House will this morning file a suit in the Federal High Court with a view to stopping the PDP and the presidency from reconvening the House.

One of the APC leaders in the House who spoke to Daily Trust on the condition of anonymity said they resolved to institute the legal action in order to ‘pre-empt any move by the PDP’.