…Wants Lawan, Gbajabiamila removed
The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has condemned the swift and secret approval without serious scrutiny of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s plan to obtain another $22.7b and $5.5b foreign loans.
The Nigerian opposition coalition regretted that despite the evident defects in the loan proposal and objection by Nigerians and economic experts, the National Assembly went ahead to approve the loan in just a matter of hours.
In a press statement signed by the Coalition’s spokesman, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, CUPP said that with the present crop of Federal lawmakers who have reduced the nation’s legislature to a ‘huge joke’, Nigeria faces a bleak future.
The CUPP also noted with dismay, the approval of N27b for the renovation of the National Assembly complex in the revised 2020 Budget at a time of National economic crisis, poverty, dwindling revenue and endless borrowing.
According to the CUPP, for this to be coming at a period when COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a huge blow to our economy and we need all the money we can gather to reposition our economy, is nothing but a sign of insensitive parliamentary and executive rascality.
The opposition coalition described the approval by the executive and national Parliament as a conspiracy against Nigerians.
The statement further read: “Opposition political parties also note with consternation the very provocative way the South East and other parts of the country were excluded from the approved loan.
We say that this is an act that fuels division and national distrust.
“It is also most unfortunate that some opposition lawmakers could join lawmakers from the ruling party to approve this anti-people loan. These opposition lawmakers have betrayed the struggle for a better Nigeria and their political parties. Particularly, the opposition PDP should discipline the lawmakers elected on their platform that have joined the APC in promoting anti-people agenda and ridiculing the opposition struggle.”
The statement continued: “It is novel in a democracy that approval of 5.5b dollars and 22.7b dollars loans can be granted within hours without deep parliamentary scrutiny. This is a show of shame and largely denigrate the institution of the national Parliament.
“The CUPP is therefore left with no other option other than to urge responsible parliamentarians who still have the love of this country at heart to wake up and begin the process of removing Ahmad Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively to save the dwindling reputation of the Parliament. This step should be taken as a matter of urgency, before these two men completely bury the image of the 9th Assembly.
“Posterity will judge all those who knew the right thing to do but failed to do so at the appropriate time.”
