Face major national issues, stop this lingering crisis, Edwin Clark caution PDP 

Edwin Clark, on Sunday throw a word of caution to People’s Democratic Party house of Reps member to focus on major national issues and end the lingering minority leadership tussle in the House of Representatives.

He stated that the PDP should take no further punitive action but allow the matter to rest since it had suspended the affected Reps.

Those suspended are member representing Aniocha/Oshimili federal constituency of Delta State, Mr Ndudi Elumelu; member representing Oriade/Obokun Federal Constituency of Osun State, Wole Oke; member representing Onitsha North and Onitsha South Federal constituency, Lynda Ikpeazu; and member representing Ezza North/Ishielu federal constituency, Anayo Edwin.

Others are; member representing Kaura Federal Constituency in Kaduna State, Gideon Gwani;member representing Aninri/Awgu/Oji River Federal Constituency of Enugu State, Toby Okechukwu; and member representing  Ijebu-North / Ijebu-East / Ogun Waterside Federal Constituency, Adekoya Abdul-Majid.

Clark during a media briefing in Abuja also said there were major issues such the controversial Ruga settlements for hersmen, insecurity, rising unemployment, kidnapping, banditry and other national challenges that the PDP should concern itself with than focusing on the House minority leadership tussle.

He pleaded with the PDP not to do anything that would worsen the crisis in the House of Representatives.

He said, “This is a very minor issue. There are major issues in this country that the PDP should concern itself with.  But the whole thing has happened, we should be thinking about major things.

“I believe that if there are about 141 opposition members in the House of Representatives and 121 of them belong to the PDP, the other 20 members are members of the House and they must be consulted.  So, if the members of the House who are in opposition all agree that this is what we want to do, I will appeal to the PDP to face the larger problems in this country. Ruga is there and there are many other things in this country that are going wrong. The PDP should play the role of opposition effectively in those areas and leave this matter. It is done.

“If the Speaker has already announced that this is the minority leader now there is nothing anyone can do. Otherwise, you want to create problem in the House which should not be. So, I am advising the PDP leadership that now that they have suspended them for a month, that may be enough sanction. Allow what has happened in the House to go on. They are all members of the PDP.”

The former Minister of Information said democracy should be allowed to thrive in the country, adding that institutions should be allowed to perform their functions without interference.

According to him, there is no place even in the PDP constitution which says that the party should nominate leaders of the House and submit the list to the Speaker.

He stated that the National Assembly had rules and regulations, adding that one of the rules of the House stipulated that “elected members of the House whether they are in the majority or in the minority should sit among themselves and elect their leaders.”

He explained that the rule did not say that one political party should nominate people for the chairman or secretary to submit their names to NASS.