Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, yesterday, has hit former Lagos State governor and leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, accusing him of seeking to control all levers of power in the country.
In apparent reaction to Tinubu’s allegations against the leadership of the National Assembly, Dogara, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan, yesterday, slammed the APC chieftain for pursuing fascist agenda.
Tinubu, while rationalising his support for some aspirants to various position in the ninth Assembly, had claimed that Dogara and the Senate President, Bukola Saraki hijacked the national budget in the past four years and stalling the APC legislative initiatives.
But Dogara noted that the major factor responsible for the delay in the passage of the Appropriations Bills was the failure of the Executive arm of government to present the bills to National Assembly in good time.
He added that the eighth National Assembly had supported President Buhari requests on critical issues of governance. And challenged Tinubu to list the bills he claimed were not passed by the parliament.
He claimed Tinubu was still bitter about the leadership contest for speakership of the eighth Assembly, where his preferred candidate, Femi Gbajabiamila lost out in the speakership contest.
“If Asiwaju had confined his intervention to stubborn facts, this response would not have been necessary. He, however, used the opportunity to manufacture falsehoods and paint a non-existing picture of the stewardship of Mr. Speaker and the work of the eighth House of Representatives under his watch. It is, therefore, incumbent on us to set the records straight for posterity.
“Asiwaju Tinubu accused the leadership of the National Assembly of stymying ‘the APC legislative initiatives while attempting to hoist noxious reactionary and self interested legislation on the nation… Just look at the way Saraki and Dogara and their ilk hijacked the budget process these past four years. National budgets were delayed and distorted as these actors repeatedly sought to pad budgets with pet projects that would profit them’.
“We do not expect Asiwaju Tinubu to dwell on brazen mendacity, much less murder facts and decorum in his rabid bid to justify his patently clear facist agenda of controlling all levers of power in Nigeria. Asiwaju Tinubu’s nocturnal agenda has no parallel in the history of any democracy and it is more loathsome when he throws caution to the winds and maligns government officials who are doing a yeoman’s job of stabilising the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, even in spite of political differences.
“It is on record that the Rt. Hon. Speaker has done more to stabilise this government more than Asiwaju Tinubu and his ilk whose stock in trade is scheming, manipulation and subversion, especially when they feel they cannot be caught. When the history of Buhari’s administration is written by those who know the truth of what really transpired in the last four years, Asiwaju’s pretentious loyalty to President Buhari will then be exposed. We won’t say more but no matter how long it may last, the truth will one day overtake lies. Perhaps, Asiwaju is still bitter about the leadership contest for Speakership of the eighth Assembly, even though the actors have moved on culminating in Speaker Dogara magnanimously facilitating the appointment of his opponent in the race and Tinubu’s protege as House Majority leader.”