..To remain as Speaker, adjourn House till December 2014
The political plan of the House of Representatives speaker,Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal is to happen today, his associates told Daily Trust Newspaper last night. According to the report,’ Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal will announce to colleagues during today’s House plenary session that he is leaving the ruling People’s Democratic Party to the main opposition APC, following months of consultation, one of the sources said. We learnt that Tambuwal is going to stay put as speaker, despite him joining a minority party.
If this comes to pass, he will be the first speaker from a minority party and the first non-PDP politician to hold that position since the inception of this dispensation in 1999. Tambuwal will also emerge as the highest-ranking public officer in APC, based on the National Order of Precedence.
“(The) speaker will formally defect to the APC during the plenary session,” an aide told Daily Trust, asking not to be named because he was not authorised to speak on the matter. Our correspondents learnt that after announcing his defection today, Tambuwal will immediately adjourn the House till after the conclusion of party primaries in December. This is to stave off any possible moves to remove him by PDP lawmakers, who have a majority with 189 members to APC’s 159. The remaining 12 lawmakers are from other smaller parties.’
The publication further adds that, ‘ Tambuwal enjoys support from many PDP members who had themselves toyed with the idea of joining APC since a mass defection hit the House late last year. “There is no constitutional provision that says he must vacate his seat as speaker after defecting from one political party to another,” an aide told Daily Trust. “Neither the constitution nor the House rules stops him from retaining his seat as speaker if he defects to another political party,” he added. Another associate said Tambuwal will explain to colleagues today that his defection is because of the crisis and division in the Sokoto State chapter of the PDP. The speaker’s defection has been long in coming, as he had been romancing with the APC since its formation last year. He also kept a distance from major PDP outings, including zonal rallies organised for President Goodluck Jonathan. Associates say he delayed his defection because of likely repercussions that may cost him his seat.’