PDP Insists On Frustrating Lawan/Gbajabiamila, Plots New Strategy

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejigged its strategies to thwart the emergence of Senator Ahmed Lawan and his House of Representatives counterpart, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as the Senate President and Speaker of the House in the ninth National Assembly.

Sources disclosed the PDP’s has resolved to disrupt the plan of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to impose the leadership of the National Assembly.

According to the sources, the latest strategy was to whip up sentiments against the APC National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu.

Just after the general election, the APC National Working Committee (NWC) had endorsed Lawan for the Senate presidency and Gbajabiamila for the House of Representatives speakership in the ninth National Assembly, a position the presidency threw its behind.

However, the PDP and a faction of the APC are opposed to the nomination of Lawan and Gbajabiamila for the National Assembly leadership.

While the PDP warned against undermining the independence of the National Assembly, the APC faction rejected the party’s position, citing Tinubu’s undue influence.

But with the rising support for the APC candidates, a lawmaker told ThisDay that the opposition party “has changed strategies to frustrate the emergence of Lawan and Gbajabiamila.”

The lawmaker explained that the APC leader “is the main driver of the zoning of the positions to these two ranking lawmakers. Already, the social media is awash with such sentiments projecting Tinubu as greedy having singly installed the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and now wants to install the leaders of the National Assembly.”

Among the flyers being circulated on the social media is one that has Osinbajo’s photograph atop the image of President Muhammadu Buhari and flanked by Lawan on the left and Gbajabiamila on the right.

The photograph was captioned “The shape of New Nigeria.” Beneath the names of all these leaders on the flyers are inscribed “TINUBU’ except for President Buhari.

Another lawmaker explained that the idea was “to cause disaffection among the populace by presenting the endorsed candidates as lackeys of one man who has eyes set for 2023.

“Expect a heightening anti-Tinubu social media blitz from this week,” a ranking Senator who spoke on condition of anonymity told this paper last week.

“Besides, cartoons, fliers and commentaries will flood all known social media platforms pillorying the erstwhile Governor of Lagos and a pillar in the formation of APC and supporter of Buhari.”