By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
Following the exit of the Barr. Daniel Bwala from the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the Muslim-Muslim ticket, the House of Representatives Caucus of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the vociferous defender of the ruling to join the umbrella.
The lawmakers who stormed the Abuja office of the former APC member led by the Minority Leader Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, Deputy Minority Leader Hon. Tobi Okechukwu, Hon Adesegun Adekoya Abdul-Majid – Deputy Minority Whip and other 10 members on Wednesday praised Bwala for being a man of honour and abandoning his broom when he discovered that the ruling party was playing the politics of exclusion.
“We have come to ask you to join PDP, join PDP to rescue Nigeria. We have come to tell you to join PDP and let us rescue Nigeria.
“This is the first time that parliamentarians will come to an individual in Nigeria, it is because of your kind of person. That shows that we respect you.
“APC is a bad medicine and the step you have to leave them is the best but we’ve also noticed that when you left, you did not even make sign that you are going anywhere. We know you’re a lawyer. We are all political animals and we believe you should belong to a political party to rescue Nigeria. And I believe that PDP provides that opportunity for us to rebuild Nigeria”.
Elumelu admitted that Bwala and other APC members including former Secretary to the Federal Government, David Babachir stood out as men of principle and urged him to join the opposition party on its quest to rebuild and rescue Nigeria.
“Myself and my colleagues watched you with admiration when you stood says that you believe in the sanctity and unity of this country and you believe that nobody should be shut out by any means and the party that you joined in building, you decided to leave the party, which is APC, on principle. Some of us were surprised because we know who you are, we know the role you played in APC coming to be in Nigeria.
“The only thing we have come to tell you, is that you are the kind of person who is detribalized, the kind of person we need in PDP to rescue and rebuild Nigeria”.
Pointing out so many ways the ruling party has put Nigerians under intense hardship, the Minority leader continued,
“Just two days ago, when we were trying to come over the fact that our children are at home, ASUU on strike and none of our kids are in school, The Minister of Education came out to tell every family to go back to the various colleges and collect their children in the FCT because of insecurity. Even those carrying arms were not left out. They were ambushed and as a matter of fact, many of them died. APC led government is yet to tell us the truth, many were killed in the ambush.
“Even Mr. President was not left out, his convoy that will advanced him going to Katsina for the sallah, they were ambushed. Even that a minister will come out and say that we are now in deficit, that the bills are more than what we have. Today, no aviation fuel, it is difficult for all the airlines to even have aviation fuel. Are you going to talk about the debt that are piling up? Are you going to talk about the bad roads and yet our president is going to Liberia to go and give lecture on insecurity. Somebody who cannot even secure his own country, what is he going to tell them. Perhaps by the time he leaves, there will be insecurity in Liberia. Are you going to talk about Naira that we left at about 161, today it is 710 Naira to $1, it is unthinkable.
“I have just heard now that in the Senate, they have moved for Mr. president’s impeachment. I have just been given the notice and we in the house are going to review it. I will make our position known quickly as soon as possible. Because a man that says he’s tired, why should you still keep him there? He’s tired. He should be asked to go back to his village. That is the best thing.
Responding Bwala who said that he had earlier made up his mind to continue with his private legal practice said that the overtures of the Rep members looks irresistible, disclosing that he will take a position in a moment.
“And I left APC purely on principles like you rightly stated earlier because I believe that there must be a nation before there can be politics and for there to be a nation the nation must be united and the divisive approach to politics is a cancer to every nation. After stepping down from the party, I thought I could just stay in my private practice.
“I will reflect on your request but I must say that I’m deeply honored. It is not a request that you naturally say no to, it is not at all.
“I’ve always known that PDP is a party that is organized. I’ve always known that even dispute resolution and conflict resolution they deal with it in an organized manner and going into 2023 I know that destiny will have its way one way or the other”.
