N100bn Bond Controversy: 3 PDP Assembly members In Ogun Decamp To ACN
The House has been enmeshed in a bribery allegation involving the leadership of the Assembly and some members loyal to the Governor because of the controversial bond bill sent to the House. The Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, last week sent a bill to the House which will enable him approach the capital market for bond as well as to establish debt management office without recourse to the House for approval in future. There has been outcry against the bill which analysts said its a back door strategy to seek for the approval of 100bn naira bond that the government had earlier denied it was not obtaining. Bola Lawal, a concerned citizen of Ogun State wondered why the government would be passing a new bill when there is an existing law- as in the case of “Ogun State Development &
Savings Bond Law of 1980″.
Gbenga Kaka, an ACN senator, PDP Ogun State branch as well as the Peoples Party of Nigeria, PPN have condemned the bill saying it was a move that will put the State in perpetual debt. Amosun during the 2011 campaign period, derided a similar move by his predecessor, Gbenga Daniel. He called it a “bond of bondage” when Daniel was seeking to approach the capital market for bond.
The members of the Assembly were reported to have received 25M naira each to pass the controversial bill. An initial demand of N100M each was made before N25M, which is one quarter of the money, was given. The balance of N75M is expected to be paid when the bill is passed.
The latest move by the 3 members, according to sources close to NigerianEcho is to weaken the opposition in the House by reducing their numbers. The ACN has 17 members, PDP has 6 members while the PPN has 3. The latest development has increased the number of the ruling ACN to 20, while the opposition has only 6 (PDP 3, PPN3). It is the desire of the Governor to have a full control of the House that has made him to reach out to the members of the opposition before 3 of them were heavily induced with money before they cross carpeted, a source said. There is an indication that few others will also decamp from the opposition to the ruling ACN.
PDP was polarised in the wake of 2011 elections making those loyal to former Governor, Gbenga Daniel moved en mass to the newly formed PPN. Even after the elections, the party still battles with legal issues. A section of the party is loyal to Buruji Kashamu, while the other is loyal to the former President Olusegun Obasanjo. The National body of the Party, only last month conducted a congress to elect new officers of the party in the State. This set of executives, according to the PDP National headquarters, is the authentic executive. Though the other group has gone to court, it appears that the struggle is a lost one. The party is banking on the Supreme court judgment that makes the decision of the National body of the party superior to any group in any State.
