ANXIETY GRIP PDP AS TAMBUWAL BARES HIS FANGS SUPPORTS WAMAKKO

via:fb-epf
There was disquiet at the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday following House of Representatives Speaker Mallam Aminu Tambuwal’s presence at a rally for suspended Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Wamakko.

In spite of pressure, Tambuwal said he could not abandon the wish of his constituents to back Wamakko for the caprices of the PDP National Secretariat.

The rally, organised by Sokoto PDP, was designed to show the party that Wamakko’s suspension was unpopular and unacceptable.

Wamakko was suspended last week by PDP for allegedly not picking National Chairman Bamanga Tukur’s phone calls and for not recognising the PDP Governors Forum, which is headed by Governor Godswill Akpabio.

The forum was created when it became clear that Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi would run for chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) – an election, which he won, but over which governors are divided.

Tambuwal left Abuja yesterday in the afternoon for Sokoto defying security reports and threats from some PDP stalwarts not to attend the rally.

It was gathered that Tambuwal took the decision to stand by Wamakko because of “available reports” indicating that the governor was suspended also because of him.

According to sources, some PDP stalwarts and forces in the Presidency got wind of Wamakko’s plan to make Tambuwal his successor in 2015.

It was gathered that the Presidency prefers one of the strategists of President Goodluck Jonathan, Senator Abubakar Umar Gada, to succeed Wamakko.

The forces in the Presidency have been uncomfortable with alleged hostility of the House of Representatives to government policies, especially budgeting in the last two years.

Tambuwal’s closeness to opposition lawmakers also allegedly drew the ire of the forces in the Presidency .