A group in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Concerned PDP League (CPDPL) have opposed the idea of naming Aminu Tambuwal as the Minority Leader of the 10th Senate while calling for a midterm convention to herald the dissolution of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to give room for fresh ideas.
The group also urged the Acting National Chairman of the party, Amb. Umar Damagum, not to sign any letter introducing Senator Aminu Tambuwal as the Minority Leader.
Chairman of CPDPL, Daboikiabo Warmate, alleged in a statement on Wednesday that the group was not in support of Mr Tambuwal, based on his actions as the Speaker of House of Representatives.
Mr Warmate said that instead of Mr Tambuwal, the position should rather be zoned to a state in the North-Central, precisely Plateau.
āThat his ambition is dead in its imagination, how much more arrival; nevertheless, the past has caught up with him,ā he said.
Mr Warmate stated that Mr Tambuwal had during his leadership as Speaker of the 8th House of Representatives given to him by the PDP, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
āIt is with great disappointment and shock to have read in the papers that Tambuwal, the former Governor of Sokoto State and PDP Governors Forum Chairman, wants to be the minority leader of the 10th Senate.
āSomebody that in 2014 took the House of Representatives Speakership we gave to him and defected to another party. This same person eventually came back to the party.
āNow, he wants to be the minority leader of the 10th Senate; we will not give support to you.
āLook, for many years, he was the PDP Governors Forum chairman, but could not speak against the suppression and sufferings of Nigerians,ā Mr Warmate said.
The group stressed that Mr Tambuwal cannot be trusted the second time and does not have the needed courage to be the Minority Leader of the 10th Senate, judging from his antecedents.
āThe former PDP Governors Forum Chairman, performed woefully as a leader of the opposition party.
āNo, enough is enough; PDP members cannot be used and dumped.
āIt is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), not the Elite Democratic Party or Stakeholders Democratic Party, and that is what we want them to know.
āWe will not allow members, leaders or any leader to use the party and dump it at will, no! That is unacceptable. We need to tell them the truth.ā
Mr Warmate commended the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, for providing the needed opposition voice in the eight years of the APC Buhari-led federal government.