The All Progressive Congress (APC) has finally accepted it does not have
the numeric strength to effect a change of leadership at the National
Assembly.
In July, when the ruling party lost some of its
lawmakers at the legislative arm of government to opposition parties, it
claimed to have the constitutionally numeric strength to effect a
change of leadership when the National Assembly resumes from recess, a
claim the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said was untrue.
The two
chambers at the lawmaking arm are now controlled by members of the PDP
who defected from the APC to the party while they were on holiday.
While, Bukola Saraki heads the Senate, Yakubu Dogara leads the House of Representative.
Adams Oshiomhole, the national chairman of the ruling party had vowed to ensure
the
duo were oust from their position after the APC urged the top lawmakers
to willingly relinquish their seats or wait for their forceful removal.
Although
several attempts to achieve the feat failed, the latest led to the
invasion of the national assembly by operatives of State Security
Service, (SSS).
For messrs Saraki and Dogara to vacate their
seats at the National Assembly, the APC needs two-third majority of
lawmakers at both chambers to back up their plan.
National
Auditor of the ruling party, George Moghalu, in an interview with Daily
Sun admitted the party might have no other option than live with the
current state of things having failed to achieved its desired wish.
“The
situation is not about given up, the present reality is that as a
law-abiding party, one thing is the wish, while another is the act
itself,” Mr Moghalu was quoted by the national daily to have said.
“We
wish to have the leadership of the two chambers as a party, but the
point is that the reality on ground will not make it achievable.
“Considering
the prevailing reality, the possibility of changing the leadership of
the two chambers is not there, because we need the required number to
so.
“Don’t forget that we are in a constitutional democracy. We
may be left with no other option than to live with the current situation
because we don’t have another choice.
“However, my simple appeal is that the common denominator is the unity of Nigeria.
“We
must all be accountable to the country. We have to place Nigeria first
in whatever we do, whether we are in the opposition or ruling parties,”
he said.
