TheCable

Members of the house of representatives loyal to President Muhammadu Buhari say they have started collecting signatures to back the president in the ongoing rift between the executive and national assembly.

The lawmakers, under the auspices of Parliamentary Support Group (PSG), also said they stand by their claim that lawmakers in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were behind the impeachment threat against Buhari.

PSG — which also has some senators as its members — had kicked against the threat the national assembly issued Buhari after a joint session of the two chambers.

In a statement on Thursday, Abdulmumin Jibrin, a member of the house who spoke on behalf of the group, said PSG was necessitated because of the “unabated attack on Buhari on the floor of the house.”

He said while the group has no intention of impeaching Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the house, it is currently collecting the signatures “to reaffirm our support for Mr President and consolidate his support base in the house.”

Dogara alongside Senate President Bukola Saraki are among members of the new-PDP reportedly plotting to dump the All Progressives Congress (APC) over alleged marginalisation .

“We will soon know the enemies of our country and democracy; those that have become dictators playing god, suppressing,threatening and treating colleagues like slaves, using a democratic institution for selfish reasons and as instrument of blackmail,” the statement added.

Below is the full statement from PSG:

Against the background of recent events in the National Assembly and specifically House of Representatives, enquiries from the media and the general public, I am oblige to make further statement and clarification.

The Parliamentary Support Group PSG which primary objective is to support @MBuhari has come to stay in the House of Representatives and the National Assembly at large. The PSG in both chambers are working closely, comparing notes and integrating its programs and action plans.

The PSG has become necessary because of the unabated attack on Mr President on the floor of the House. An action that has severally embarrassed the President and portray the APC lead government in bad light.

While we focus on mobilizing support for Mr President in the House, we challenge the leadership of the APC caucus in the House of Representatives to stand up and be counted in support of our party, the APC and government. We hope they will do the needful.

We wish to categorically state that the ongoing taking of signatures of Members in the House of Representatives by the PSG is NOT for the purpose of impeaching the Speaker but to reaffirm our support for Mr President and consolidate his support base in the House.

For the purpose of emphasis, the statements I signed after the joint Executive session is not in my personal capacity but on behalf of members of the PSG in the Senate and House of Representatives who will address a joint world press conference in due course.

The statement by PSG is absolutely a true reflection of what transpired at the joint Executive session. We challenge any body with contrary opinion to release the full names of those that spoke at the session, those that are said to be witch hunted if at all among others.

We will soon know the enemies of our country and democracy. Those that have become dictators playing god, suppressing,threatening and treating colleagues like slaves, using a democratic institution for selfish reasons and as instrument of blackmail. No @MBuhari in that those!

One thing for sure is that the PSG support for President Muhammadu Buhari is sacrosanct and we will not allow people who are working against our party or have made up their mind to leave the party or are confused on what to do to destroy our party and government. NEVER!