Tony Osauzo, Benin
Senate Chief Whip, Sen. Francis Alimikhena, has berated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for criticising President Muhammadu Buhari over his signing of Executive Order 6, otherwise known as Asset Seizure Executive Order.
The main opposition party while criticising President Buhari, described the Executive Order as ‘illegal, unconstitutional, reprehensible and a dangerous step towards a descent to fascism’.
But Sen. Alimikhena who spoke to journalists, in Benin, on the sidelines of Usagbe Social Club of Nigeria’s 18th Annual Retreat/Convention, condemned the PDP’s comments, saying that the President’s action is in the right direction.
According to him, “Only those with skeletons in their cupboards are the ones kicking against the signing of the Asset Seizure Executive Order”.
Alimikhena, who represents Edo North Senatorial district in the Senate, also described the members of Reformed All Progressives Congress (R-APC) as those seeking for attention.
The Senator, who is also a past President of the Usagbe Social Club, disclosed that the leadership of the APC was doing everything to address the grievances of the rAPC, and that very soon they will come back to the fold.
“In every organisation as big as APC, there is no way there won’t be friction and disagreements. But I can tell you that the leadership of the party is solving that problem because we don’t want it to end up like the nPDP palaver.
“Ours is a small issue. Those agitating are looking for attention and the party is looking into their grievances and very soon they will come back.
“Although not everyone of them will come back but I can assure you that at least, 90 percent of them will retrace their steps”, the Senate Chief Whip said.
On alleged slow pace of governance by Buhari, Alimikhena said such remark is relative in the sense that while some are in accord with it, others don’t see it that way.
He said because of the wrought from past administrations in the country, Nigerians want everything to speed up.
He likened the situation to what happened to Super Eagles when the team was leaving for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, saying that everyone was hailing them but just one small case, the people started condemning and crucifying them.