PDP congresses: You are starving us of funds, lawmakers accuse presidency
*Senators meet Jonathan over loss of power to govs
By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor, Emman Ovuakporie, Henry Umoru, Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Joseph Erunke & Levinus Nwabughiogu
The crisis of confidence between the National Assembly and the presidency arising from the conduct of the ward congresses of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP was yesterday boiling over with the National Assembly alleging a deliberate effort to suppress their finances.
The delay in the release of the fourth quarter allocation of the National Assembly, sources disclosed yesterday, was being seen as a deliberate act to weaken the legislators during the crucial electioneering period when they claim they need all the money they can get to prosecute their election agenda.
The cash crunch in the National Assembly has also affected the payment of salaries and yesterday led to an appeal from the workers’ union for understanding over the delayed payment of the October salaries of staff.
Meanwhile, senators seething over their near total displacement from their power bases in their constituencies after the ward congresses were as at press time last night set to enter into discussion with the president over the development.
The meeting with the president is upon protests from PDP stakeholders, mostly members of the National Assembly that PDP incumbent governors manipulated the ward congresses to their favour and against the interest of the legislators.
Exception to the influence of the governors was the development in Cross River and Enugu States, where the governors were said to be under pressure. Governor Liyel Imoke was at the national secretariat of the PDP with key political associates yesterday to lodge a complaint over the alleged manipulation of the delegates list which was allegedly doctored after the congress in Abuja.
It was learnt that the outcome of the delegate election in Cross River State was doctored in a way that put the governor at a disadvantage, a development that forced Imoke to meet with key party officials at the national secretariat.
Governor Sullivan Chime on his part had himself been embedded in the federal capital after those aligned with him stayed away from the ward congresses conducted by the David Aja-led state executive of the party in the state. Mr. Chime who met with key stakeholders on Tuesday night, it was learnt, was mounting pressure for the cancellation of the ward congresses but his efforts were as at press time not yielding fruits given the assertion by the party that he should channel his complaints through the appeals committee.
Protests against the congress were also said to be strong from party stakeholders in Rivers and Akwa Ibom States.
A source privy to the development said yesterday “the pressure is coming from some state governments and some members of the National Assembly particularly those who lost out in the congress. They have tried to impress it on the party leadership and the NWC that only a cancellation would be acceptable.
“For the past three days, the leadership has come under intense lobby that a fresh congress should be conducted by cancelling results already submitted by the various electoral panels. In fact, the lobby has been taken to the Presidency.”
Protesting PDP senators were led to the presidential villa last night by the president of the Senate, Senator David Mark. The senators who went in a procession from the Apo Mansion of the Senate President were yet to commence the meeting as at press time last night.
Earlier in the day, the aggrieved senators led by the Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, (SAN) held a meeting with the leadership of the party at an unidentified location in Abuja, at the instance of the Senate President, David Mark.
Senators allege being fenced off by govs during congresses
The entire Senate had been thrown into confusion as majority of PDP senators claimed to have been fenced out during the ward congresses by the governors.
The PDP dominated Senate abruptly adjourned plenary on Tuesday and Wednesday without deliberating on items on the Order Paper in protest of their denial of the party’s ticket if nothing was done to reverse the trend and also give them automatic tickets as has allegedly been marked down for second term governors desirous of going to the Senate. A meeting with between the president and the senators scheduled for Wednesday night could not hold because of President Goodluck Jonathan’s trouble shooting trip to Burkina Faso on Wednesday.
A source within the PDP caucus in the senate, who spoke on condition of anonymity on Thursday explained that the meeting could not hold on Wednesday night because Jonathan returned late from his foreign trip.
A source privy to the development said: “We were already at the Villa last night (Wednesday) for the meeting before a message came that the meeting could not hold again because the president arrived late from Ouagadougou, Burkina-Faso.
“We have received messages again this afternoon (yesterday) that the meeting had been rescheduled for this night. We have been asked to converge at the Senate President’s official quarters by 7:00pm today (Thursday). We will move from there in group to the Villa.”
The source further hinted that the aggrieved senators were still speaking with one voice on the issue of securing automatic tickets for at least two serving senators in all the PDP controlled states while the governors could be given the ticket to produce one candidate each.
Senators vows to fight govs till the end
A senator speaking on the development vowed yesterday that the senators would not give the governors or the president a breathing space until their issues were resolved.
Meanwhile, the crisis that arose from the PDP ward congress was about creeping into matters of money yesterday following complaints over the delayed release of the fourth quarter allocation of the National Assembly leading to the delayed payment of the October salaries of staff and the fourth quarter constituency allocation of the legislators.
Members of the House of Representatives are entitled to an estimated N29 million per quarter for constituency duties and staff emoluments.
Many National Assembly staff who spoke to Vanguard under the condition of anonymity expressed regret over the delay saying that salaries which normally should come by the 23rd or 24th of the month were yet to be paid almost two weeks after.
The financial crunch had in itself limited the movement of staff as a number of them have started staying away from the office.
Parliamentary Staff Association appeals to staff over unpaid salary
Reacting to the issue in a notice placed on some notice boards in the National Assembly, the publicity secretary of the Parliamentary staff Association of Nigeria, PASAN Comrade Godwin Kyespo called for understanding from staff.
According to him, “It has been observed that the salary for the month of October 2014 has not been paid and on consultation it is found that the problem is associated with the non-release of fund from the federation account”.
“While we appreciate efforts of management on prompt payment of salaries of past months, we urged the management to do all with its power to pay as staff are suffering”, he added.
“We accordingly urged all members of staff to have a little restraint while the effort to pay very soon is being pursued”.
It would be recalled that last month that power supply to the complex was temporarily disconnected due to its inability to pay N8million electricity bill.
However, some claimed yesterday that the cash crunch was deliberately being done to stifle the legislators in their electioneering campaigns.
“They know that this is the peak time for legislators so one wonders why the allowances should be delayed up to this time. Legislators have not been paid and their staff have also not been paid.”
The assembly complex which used to be a beehive of legislative activities was a shadow of itself yesterday, following adjournment of sittings by the members of the Red Chamber last Wednesday to Tuesday, next week.
A few senators, who came into the assembly complex, went quietly into their offices either to pick their personal effects or carry out their personal assignments. They, however, could not talk to the press on the abnormal adjournment when approached and left shortly.
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