AS the politics of 2015 continues to
gather steam across the country, Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal,
yesterday, blasted those he described as agents of autocracy and accused them
of putting democracy at risk. He discouraged his colleagues from belonging to
such a group.
AS the politics of 2015 continues to
gather steam across the country, Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu
Tambuwal, yesterday, blasted those he described as agents of autocracy and
accused them of putting democracy at risk. He discouraged his colleagues from
belonging to such a group.
Tambuwal said this in his opening
speech during yesterday’s commencement of the seventh session of the House of
Representatives.
In a bid to indicate the
direction the House would follow in the days to come, Tambuwal had used the
opportunity to inform Nigerians about the thinking of the leadership of the
Green Chamber on the need to separate politics from governance.
Said he: “…While we are clamouring
for the deepening of democracy, including internal party democracy, there has
arisen a new group championing the obnoxious cause of the deepening of internal
party autocracy and demagoguery.
“This is inexcusable and, indeed,
reprehensible at this time in our history. Dissent is a healthy element in any
democratic setting and those who equate loyalty to sycophantic followership not
only miss the point but put democracy at risk. Preparatory to 2015, many have
started introducing political doctrines that are alien to democracy and
destructive to peaceful social coexistence in a civilized society; they are
busy fanning the embers of partisan hate and strife.
“According to this new doctrine it
is a political offence for a member of one political party to exchange
greetings with someone in another political party. It is indeed a heinous
crime for one to visit, attend the burial, birthday, coronation, wedding or any
such ceremony of someone in an opposing political party. The proponents of this
shameful doctrine not only offend our sensibilities, they constitute an affront
on the whole essence of democracy and civilized coexistence and must be halted
before they do incalculable damage to our polity. My dear colleagues we refuse
to be students of this school of thought.”
He further reminded his colleagues
that “beyond the challenges routine to our functions as legislators, an even
bigger challenge is fast approaching. I am referring to 2015 and the gathering
clouds of politicking: first we must resist the temptation to jump the gun.”
Tambuwal advised Nigerian
politicians to wait for the whistle of the electoral umpire before commencing
the politics of 2015, stressing that “we must resist being distracted from the
execution of our mandate which is only half done and finally but perhaps more
importantly we must make a difference by rising against every attempt to cause
disaffection among Nigerians.”
Source: Leadership
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