By Anayo Okoli
Umuahia—A FOUNDING member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Abia State, Prince Benjamin B. Apugo, has described as strange moves by the National Assembly to include in the amended Electoral Act a provision that would make them automatic executive committee members of their various political parties.

Describing members of the National Assembly as “very greedy”, Apugo, a Board of Trustee, BoT, member of PDP, blamed most of the political problems currently rocking the nation on  members of the National Assembly.

According to Apugo, who spoke on the occasion to mark his birthday in Umuahia, each political party has its constitution which prescribes who is and who is not qualified to be a member of the executive committee.

Apugo wondered if the National Assembly had transformed into Independence National Electoral Commission, INEC, which regulates political parties.

“It is something that is very strange. There is no way a political party that nominated and sponsored them to the National Assembly will now make them executive committee members. “They will become very powerful more than the party that nominated and sponsored them to the National Assembly.

“That goes to show what I have been saying about the National Assembly, the members are very greedy to be checked. Most of the problems the country is facing today are created by the National Assembly.

“They fixed their own salaries, and now they are saying that they want to be members of their parties’ executive committee when they are not even qualified to be ward chairmen.

“The problem is that people have not been challenging them and ask them to render account for the constituency funds they collect, that is why they think they can get away with anything they do.

“Each political party has its own constitution which prescribes who can be members of the executive committee and they cannot change it. Their plan will be in futility. And all these bad things are coming from the PDP members of the National Assembly. Greed is tearing Nigeria apart.”

The PDP chieftain, who is a strong advocate of zoning arrangement in the party, also dismissed as of no consequence adoption of Ohanaeze Ndigbo of President Goodluck Jonathan, saying the group had never done anything useful.

Apugo, therefore, asked  people to ignore whatever purported adoption the body said it had made.