Nigeria drifting, PDP senators tell Yar'Adua http://www.vanguardngr.com/content/view/32712/41/
Written by Emmanuel Aziken
Friday, 03 April 2009












ABUJA — THE 87-man Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senate caucus, yesterday, dispatched the President of the Senate, Chief David Mark, on a mission to inform President Umaru Yar'Adua that the nation is adrift on account of poor leadership.

Vanguard learnt that an early morning meeting of the caucus called to articulate the interests of Senators during the upcoming PDP congresses, turned into bitter recriminations of the alleged failures of the Yar‘Adua administration and its possible effect on the PDP as a party. Besides complaining of the failures of the administration, the Senators during the closed-door meeting also expressed dissatisfaction with the President's style.

From embracing Senators with open arms, the lawmakers complained that the President has ceased routine communications with them, something some old Senators said was taken for granted during the Obasanjo administration.

Even routine meetings with the Senate leadership, which Vanguard learnt at one time saw the President interacting with principal officers of the Senate at the Senate President’s residence has ceased.

The PDP caucus meeting was originally called to address how PDP Senators could be given advantage ahead of the coming PDP congresses and address the domineering roles of state governors in the state chapters of the party.

The caucus meeting, according to Vanguard sources, however, turned into a bitter session against the President as Senators rose one after another to complain about the poor performance of the administration.

President Umaru Yar'AduaVanguard further learnt that the senators complained that the performance of the administration is turning into a political nightmare for them as they complained that their electoral fortunes were being eroded at home.

“It was an opportunity to tell ourselves the home truth; we are not performing and our fear is that the performance of the government is harming our political fortunes,’’ one Senator said yesterday after the meeting.

“Look at the power sector. For almost two years, we have been talking about emergency and we cannot see any emergency action by the government to solve the problems of the power sector,” one Senator told Vanguard after the meeting.

“You see, I cannot openly come out to tell you that the administration is achieving because saying so will not be the truth but because of my position, I cannot also say come out and say the truth which all of us know,’’ a notable PDP Senator said yesterday on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to disclose the proceedings of the closed door meeting.

Another Senator present at the meeting said the meeting was originally called to address how Senators could be positioned to address the excesses of state governors who, some Senators complained, were turning into “tin gods” in the states.

“But you know, these things cannot be hidden and Senators had to complain about them and Mark was sent to convey the message to the President,’’ the Senator said on the basis of confidentiality.

Vanguard could not confirm how and when Senator Mark is going to dispatch the message to President Yar‘Adua.