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If We Continue Borrowing, Nigeria Will Stop Breathing – Secondus To PDP Senators

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5 years ago

June 11, 2020

THE National leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday lampooned the Federal Government over its continued engagement in External Borrowing, just as it warned that if the action continues, it would get to a position Nigeria as a country will Stop breathing, both politically and economically.

Speaking with Journalists yesterday in Abuja after a three hour reconcilatory meeting with PDP Senate Caucus, National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus has urged Senators on platform of the party, to henceforth protest against such a move by the Federal Government to embark on additional borrowing.

The meeting which had in attendance members of the PDP National Working Committee, NWC and PDP Senators led by the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, PDP, Abia South l, started at 2. 20 pm and ended at past 5pm.

Recall that the Senate had so far this year, approved $22.7bn, $5.53bn and N850bn on different occasions for the Buhari regime to fund the 2020 national budget. Secondus said, “We are also worried about the continuous borrowing by the executive arm of Government if it continues like this, Nigerians would be feeling the pains on their neck and It will get to a point if we continue to borrow the way the executive arm is carrying on, it will be difficult to breath both politically and economically, so this must come to an end, there must be an end to borrowing. Those are the issues we have asked our senators to raise in the Senate.” When asked whether the Senators should stage a walk out in case of any move to borrow more money, the PDP National Chairman said, “they know what to do.”

Speaking generally about the meeting, Secondus said, “I think that for today’s meeting at the Senate in the National Assembly we came to interact with our senators, the PDP caucus. We held a very useful discussion on behalf of the leadership of the party. We tabled before the Senate caucus of PDP the issue of Electoral reforms which is also on our minds and the minds of Nigerians.” On the forthcoming Edo elections, Secondus said, “Edo election is ongoing, the processes have started yesterday was the three man’s delegate election.

On the 19th is the congress proper.” Also speaking on the meeting, Senator Abaribe who noted that the meeting was very productive as issues that will lead to the growth and development of the party were raised and discussed, said that the Senators are happy with the National leadership of the party and they are on the same page. Abaribe said, “The chairman Uche Secondus has come to meet with the PDP caucus in the senate and we have had a very useful discussion about the happenings in the National Assembly and our role in the Senate and in the national Assembly and I can say that it was a very productive meeting.”

On the issue of Senators not being Carried along by the NWC, the Minority Leader said, ” All the matters that affect Senators were all discussed and satisfactorily resolved. And like I said, it is normal that there are disagreements between political parties and we can be very certain that these disagreements can easily be resolved when you understand each other and when you have meetings of this nature which we have done.”

On what they are taking him and what they have been promised, Abaribe said, “The senators are very happy and we are on the same page with the party. PDP us strong and PDP is united.” Meanwhile, Vanguard gathered that at the meeting, the PDP National Chairman and other members of the NWC took time to plead with the Senators and pacify them not to be angry with the party, just as there were promises that henceforth, they would be carried along in all its ramifications.

Vanguard also gathered that the misunderstanding was not intentional and also not to ridicule the Senators who are very strong and major stakeholders the party must work with. Vanguard had reported exclusively that last weel that yesterday’s meeting will hold as the PDP Senators cried out that they have been abandoned, frustrated by the NWC because of the Governors. The Senate Caucus had lamented what it described as high level of marginalization by the National Working Committee, NWC of the party.

The PDP Senators at a closed door meeting in Abuja last week had complained that as lawmakers, they not taken into consideration, their inputs are not taken and opinion not sought by the National Working Committee of the party. Vanguard had gathered that it formed the agenda of the closed door meeting, just as the Senators were said to have complained bitterly that the NWC only accept the views of the Governors, thereby neglecting them simply because they do not have money like the Governors.

A source had told Vanguard that it is frustrating that as elected representatives of the people, the party has pushed them aside, just as they cited issues of congresses where the Senators were not allowed to play very prominent roles in their senatorial districts. Vanguard had also reported that the Senators agreed to meet with the National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus and other members of the National Working Committee, NWC, to express their grievances and frustration. The source who spoke with Vanguard after the meeting said, ” the meeting was basically about how the National leadership of the party is frustrating us, how the NWC has abandoned and rejected us, our views and opinions do not matter to the National leadership.

” The leadership only recognises the Governors, we are not recognised because we do not have money like our state governors, we will continue to meet and we are meeting with the NWC to express our feelings and reservations. We are simply not happy.” But addressing Journalists after the meeting last week, Abaribe, who noted that issues relating to the party were discussed as well as recent congresses, however assured that the party will Capture Edo and Ondo States in the forthcoming elections. He also said that as a caucus, it was agreed that the government would be supported in its fight to end the Coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic. Abaribe said, “The PDP caucus met and considered matters that are germane to – internal matters of the caucus.

We also discussed matters related to the party and the recent congresses were held in all the states of the federation. “We also considered the fact that there would be elections in two states; Edo and Ondo states. We resolved that we will encourage our members in both states to be able to capture those states so we can increase the number of states under the PDP in Nigeria.”

“We agreed that we are going to support the federal government in its fight against the global pandemic COVID-19 and urge Nigerians to do their best to stay safe.” When asked why the use of capture, Abaribe said, “Every election under this new regime of the APC is turned into a battle front, so I’m using battle language. The PDP is very ready to make sure that those states that were under PDP before will return to the fold.”