Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, has said that himself and other members of the House who defected to the All Progressives Congress from the Peoples Democratic Party would have been richer politicians today had they remained in the PDP.
Tambuwal explained that remaining in the PDP would have been an easier choice as all the lawmakers would have enjoyed the financial benefits of being in the same party as the Federal Government.
The Speaker said the ex-members of the PDP opted to leave the party for the love of Nigeria and the need to turn the country around for good.
He claimed that the PDP had not done much for the country since it assumed control of leadership in 1999.
But, a member of the House, who is serving on the PDP’s Presidential Campaign Committee, Mr. Bitrus Kaze, has disagreed with Tambuwal.
A statement on Monday in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Imam Imam, quoted Tambuwal as making the submission at an APC town hall meeting held in the Tsafe Emirate, Zamfara State.
He reportedly said, “Many patriotic Nigerians who felt the need to change the course of our country have protested the inept administrative style visited on this country.
“They made their voices known by abandoning the PDP and teaming up with progressive-minded Nigerians.
“Remaining in the PDP would have been the easy option for us. We would have been richer and would been enjoying the benefits of being in the same political camp with the Federal Government.
“But, we chose a different option because we felt enough is enough. We felt Nigeria deserves better leadership that is why we are in the APC.”
Tambuwal also advised the electorate against voting for the PDP on the grounds that it was not dignifying to do so.
“So, a vote for PDP would be undignified. We must re-discover our self-worth as a people, we must move the country forward,” Tambuwal said.
Traditional rulers and other interest groups at the Emirate as well as the Zamfara State Governor, Mr. Abdulaziz Yari, attended the APC town hall meeting.
In his reaction to the speaker’s comments, Kaze, who is from Plateau State, said it was “unfortunate” that Tambuwal, who was until six months ago a member of the PDP, could paint the party in such bad light.
He argued that so long as Nigeria was not yet practising politics of ideology, a change of political party merely served personal interest and nothing more.
“I don’t believe that the speaker would have spoken in such manner about the PDP.
“But, if he did, he was in PDP until just six months back. He also knows that over half of the people in the APC are from PDP.
“We should not be embarking on campaign of calumny, which only aims at attacking other political parties and personalities”, Kaze added.
The PDP had controlled the House with an overwhelming majority of 208 out of 360 members until December 2013.
The party started losing ground after 37 lawmakers defected to the APC in December 2013.
Since the incident, more members continued to leave the PDP for the APC and other parties.
On October 28, 2014, Tambuwal too left the party and subsequently became the APC’s governorship candidate in Sokoto State.
