Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has faulted a statement credited to Osun State Chapter of the People’s Democractic Party (PDP), condemning him for paying a courtesy visit to Governor Rauf Aregbesola last Saturday.
In a press statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, he explained that, “It is not the intention of the Speaker to join issues with any person or group, however, it has become imperative to state the fact that as the Number Four citizen in the country, The Speaker is a national figure who must be seen to be above partisan considerations at all times.”
An earlier press statement, purportedly written by the spokesman of the party in the state, and signed by one Diran Odeyemi, had demanded for an apology from the Speaker for the visit and his subsequent remarks after the visit.
But continuing, the Speaker Tambuwal statement further noted: “The Speaker is a leader and rallying point for all Nigerians, irrespective of political, religious or ethnic consideration. The composition of members of the House is a testament to this fact. To set the records straight, the Speaker visited Osun to commiserate with former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Patricia Etteh, whose mother was buried same day.
“As a sign of his respect to constituted authorities and the people of Osun, he paid a courtesy visit to governor Aregbesola at the Government House in Osogbo.”
The statement added that Osun was not the first state under the control of the opposition that the speaker had visited for a function, and paid a courtesy call to its governor. It reminded thta a week before the trip to Osun, he had paid a courtesy visit to an ANPP Governor, Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara, when he paid a condolence visit to the state to condole with Hon Ibrahim Gusau and the IG of Police MD Abubakar.
Stressing the need to draw the line between politics and effective governance, Tambuwwal reiterated that as a member of the PDP he would continue to work assiduously for the progress of the party at all times.
Meanwhile, former members of the? Osun State House of Assembly between 1999 -2003 under the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) extraction have passed a vote of confidence on the state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
This is coming against the backdrop of the alleged controversial security report of 24 hours surveillance on the governor and the planned attack on his convoy by Senator Iyiola Omisore.
A communique signed by the group’s chairman, the former state deputy speaker, Honourable Moses Ola Gbotosho after an emergence meeting yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital, reiterated the ex-lawmakers’ support to the present administration in the state, and warned that “those behind the attack to bury their heads in shame before nemesis caught up with them.”
Part of the statement read: “All satanic agents in opposition parties who do not believe in the operation of democracy in tandem with all constitutional? rules guiding governance should go and learn how to be submissive to the democratic norms and values and the public should resist any attempt by any individual, group of people or any political party wanting to throw Osun State into another chaotic, traumatised, blood-letting and undemocratic crisis triggered by PDP in the state during Chief Bisi Akande’s regime between 1999-2003.
“We are ever ready to join the present government in the state in whatever steps to curb all the antics and excesses of any person, group or any political party that might be bank rolling the heinous and satanic-inspired security report which failed to comply with professionalism and sportsmanship which democratic governance requires”, it added.
Also, the Lagos State House of Assembly has urged the security agencies in Nigeria, not to overlook the statement made by Senator Iyiola Omisore that he would attack Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s convoy.
The chairman House Committee on Information, Strategy, Security and Publicity, Olusegun Olulade in a chat with newsmen said the statement by former senator Iyiola Omisore “is weighty and it should not be treated with levity, knowing what has been the rate of high profile political killings that has ravaged state in the past.”
Meanwhile, former members of the? Osun State House of Assembly between 1999 -2003 under the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) extraction have passed a vote of confidence on the state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
This is coming against the backdrop of the alleged controversial security report of 24 hours surveillance on the governor and the planned attack on his convoy by Senator Iyiola Omisore.
This latest development was contained in a communique signed by the group’s chairman, the former state deputy speaker, Honourable Moses Ola Gbotosho after an emergence meeting yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital.
The former lawmakers reiterated their unalloyed support to the present administration in the state, and warned that “those behind the attack to bury their heads in shame before nemesis caught up with them.”
Part of the statement read: “All satanic agents in opposition parties who do not believe in the operation of democracy in tandem with all constitutional? rules guiding governance should go and learn how to be submissive to the democratic norms and values and the public should resist any attempt by any individual, group of people or any political party wanting to throw Osun State into another chaotic, traumatised, blood-letting and undemocratic crisis triggered by PDP in the state during Chief Bisi Akande’s regime between 1999-2003.
“We are ever ready to join the present government in the state in whatever steps to curb all the antics and excesses of any person, group or any political party that might be bank rolling the heinous and satanic-inspired security report which failed to comply with professionalism and sportsmanship which democratic governance requires”, it added.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State House of Assembly has urged the security agencies in Nigeria, not to overlook the statement made by Senator Iyiola Omisore that he would attack Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s convoy.
The chairman House Committee on Information, Strategy, Security and Publicity, Olusegun Olulade in a chat with newsmen said the statement by former senator Iyiola Omisore “is weighty and it should not be treated with levity, knowing what has been the rate of high profile political killings that has ravaged state in the past.”
Olulade who recollected the killing of Hon. Olagbaju and the former Attorney General of the federation, Chief Bola Ige and a host of others whose perpetrators had yet to be unraveled by the security agencies, even up till date, stressed, “with this new threat to a sitting governor, it’s not just enough for the security agencies to investigate the threat, but also, Senator Omisore should be invited for interrogation to ascertain his threat.
“When an ordinary citizen will stop and search the convoy of a governor, because we expect the calibre of Omisore who is a former deputy governor and one time senator to understand and know the workings of the Office of a Governor, before issuing such threat, then, it is a serious matter.”
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