From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
A political pressure group, the PDP National Group (PNG) has admonished the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) to beware of some of its leaders, who are allegedly pushing anti-South and anti-Christian agenda in the contest for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
The group stated this, in a statement signed by Chibuike Tobias Nwosu and Osamudieme Omoruyi, national coordinator and secretary, respectively. It alleged that some PDP leaders are working with the All Progressives Congress ( APC) to railroad unsuspecting lawmakers-elect, elected on the platform of the opposition party, to foist northern and non-Christian Senate President and Speaker on the 10th assembly.
The group warned that the alleged ethnic and religious agenda championed by the said opposition leaders, will portray the PDP as anti-South and anti-Christian, to the detriment of the opposition party.
It said “the anti-south disposition of these leaders painfully alienated our party in the South and cost our party, the low hanging presidential election and majority seat in the two chambers of the National Assembly.
“It is indeed troubling that the PDP is apparently allowing an anti-South and anti-Christian agenda being pursued by certain northern leaders within the PDP, who are working with the APC, to railroad unsuspecting PDP Senators and Reps-elect to foist northern and non-Christian Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives on the National Assembly.
“The implication of such ethnic and religious politics will be the imposition of another northern non-Christian as the Senate President after sixteen years of northerners as Senate President, with non-Christian northerners holding the position in the last eight years, in a country where there are many qualified southerners to hold the position under the current dispensation.
“For clarity, in the last eight years, non-Christian northerners, Senator Bukola Saraki and Senator Ahmed Lawan presided as Senate President. ”
The group further stated that “the implication is that the PDP would be lending itself to creating an undemocratic and anti-Nigerians scenario of non-Christian President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chief Justice of the Federation.
“It is therefore vexatious, distressing ,provocative and disuniting if the PDP allows itself to be used to foist another northerner as Senate President and the Party must immediately retrace itself or risk going into political oblivion.”