10th Assembly: Northern Alliance Alleges ‘Undemocratic Moves’ to Stop Betara, Yari

•Says plan underway to arrest reps member, senator

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Northern Alliance for Democracy (NAD) yesterday alleged that some elements within the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were perfecting plans to threaten, intimidate and possibly arrest Aliyu Betara, a leading aspirant for the speakership of the House of Representatives, and Senator-elect, Abdulaziz Yari, who’s interested in heading the senate.

In a statement signed by the Chairman of the group, Jubril Mohammed and the Secretary, Bala Sarki, NAD stated that having stood against the zoning arrangement of the APC,  some leaders of the party were planning to send Nigeria’s secret police and the anti-graft agencies after the duo.

“You all will recall that Betara, Chairman of Committee on Appropriations of the 9th House of Representatives and Yari, a former governor of Zamfara State are two members of the National Assembly who have boldly stood against the zoning arrangements of the APC for the leadership of the legislature, and have been campaigning vigorously to, respectively, be Speaker of the House of Representatives and Senate President.

“We gathered from sources close to the ruling party that some powerful elements in the leadership of the party have vowed to get the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Department of State Service (DSS), and the Independent and Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), to threaten, intimidate and invite the duo for questioning on trumped up charges with a view to frustrating their aspirations,” NAD alleged.

Stressing that both Yari and Betara have not committed any offence,  the group insisted that  the APC should allow the members of the National Assembly elect their leaders in accordance with constitutional provisions.

It argued that Section 50 (la&b) granted members of the National Assembly the right to elect their leaders — Senate President and Deputy Senate President, Speaker and Deputy speaker of the House of Representatives — “from among themselves.”

“We note that the quickest way to compromise the independence and integrity of the legislature, and thereby subvert democracy, is this propensity by the ruling parties over the years to select leaders for the National Assembly, rather than allow the members elect their own leaders in accordance with the provisions of the constitution,” it maintained.

The group recalled the alleged decision of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under President Olusegun Obasanjo to select leaders of the 4th Senate between 1999 and 2003 which degenerated into serial crises that resulted in four senate presidents within four years.

It added that under President Goodluck Jonathan, the PDP administration had a problem with the 7th House of Representatives when its selections for Speaker and Deputy Speaker failed to win on the floor.

Only recently in the 8th Senate, it noted that the failed attempt by the APC to impose a senate president caused a crisis of trust and confidence between the 8th National Assembly and the presidency.

“We call on President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is self-acclaimed leader of democrats irrespective of parties, to allow democracy to thrive by stopping those party hawks attempting to use undemocratic means to stop National Assembly members from pursuing their legitimate aspirations.

“We call on Nigerians to be at alert and not allow undemocratic elements to sow the seed of crisis so early in the 1 0th National Assembly, so the new government is not distracted from delivering on its promises to the people,” NAD concluded.