By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor & Henry Umoru
ABUJA— ACTION Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and its national leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu may have opted out of playing any meaningful role in the new government to be formed by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The party will, however, collaborate with the President on matters of national security especially in curbing the increasing threats from bombers, Vanguard has learnt.

In line with its decision to remain a vibrant opposition party, the ACN is also working to challenge the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP’s choice on a Speaker of the House of Representatives. The ACN, it was learnt, is now actively collaborating with two of the PDP candidates for Speaker of the House of Representatives working against Mr. Muriana Ajibola, the consensus nominee of Southwest PDP elders.

The two candidates that have attracted the support of ACN are Rep. Aminu Tambuwal, the outgoing deputy majority whip and Mrs. Mulikat Adeola-Akande from Oyo State.

Mainstream political parties

President Jonathan at his meeting with leaders of the mainstream political parties, Wednesday, had pledged his determination to run an all inclusive government not defined by political affiliation. Following the meeting, Tinubu one of those present at the meeting had said: “The campaign is over, we are all Nigerians, patriotism dictates that you put the nation first before your personal interest, therefore, you dont have to look at the political partisan angle but look at the intention of the President, exactly what he wants to achieve. He is the president until maybe the judiciary says otherwise.”

Suggestions that Asiwaju Tinubu’s statement would mean the party collaborating with the Federal Government have, however, been dismissed.

Senior party officials told Vanguard, yesterday, that Tinubu’s decision to go along with the visit was only in honour of the office of the President. It was, however, disclosed that the ACN at the meeting pledged not antagonize the government on the matter of security especially as it relates to the wave of bombing in the country.

The party, it was learnt even pledged to offer advise to the Federal Government on national security matters. “We will offer advise on national security issues because of the security implications of the issues that are now around us, so we are not going to play politics in that area,” a senior party official told Vanguard last night.

Security situation

Tinubu had at the end of the meeting with the President also said: “There is security situation, there are judicial matters too. There are so many issues in a complex country such as this that you can share and still not jeopardize the opposition. Opposition is not about axes, cutlasses and dane guns.”

Following the party’s decision to remain vigilant and vibrant, the ACN it was learnt was now actively working to undermine the PDP in its increasing difficulties of reining its members-elect on the choice of a Speaker of the House of Representatives.

ACN members it was learnt are now actively identifying with Tambuwal and Adeola-Akande in a bid to further divide the strength of the PDP.

The momentum for Tambuwal sprung from the anger of party members from the Northwest and South-East over the decision to zone the Speakership to the Southwest. The momentum which has received strong backing among leading South-South members in the House of Representatives Vanguard learnt, is now taking root in the Southwest largely controlled by the ACN.

The ACN it was learnt was mobilizing for Tambuwal with the active collaboration of the national leadership. Tambuwal was introduced to the ACN leadership by a former member of the House of Representatives now a senator-elect who was active in the anti-third term movement during the Olusegun Obasanjo administration.

A party source told Vanguard, yesterday: “You know that as ANPP official in the House that Tambuwal was active in the anti-third term movement, so we did not have much problems when he was introduced.”

Another ACN member-elect disclosing the difficult straits of the PDP on the matter said: “If the PDP is not wise in controlling its members then we as a party will not have any problem helping them to destroy their party,” the ACN member-elect who is supportive of Adeola-Akande told Vanguard.

Meanwhile, PDP national officers were, yesterday, said to be in a quandary on how to win back the loyalty of rebellious PDP members-elect who have ditched the party’s decision on zoning. Party officials it was learnt have now dropped the use of stick in favour of carrot to win back the loyalty.

“They are doing everything now including offering bribes to new members-elect,” a South-South member of the House of Representatives said yesterday.

PDP enlists governors

The PDP meanwhile may have enlisted the governors elected on the party”s platform to work on members of the House of Representatives that have refused to soft-pedal on their zoning position.

Vanguard gathered that the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed, initiated the move against the backdrop that the governors are leaders of the party in their respective states and they possess enormous as well as have overriding influence on members of the House.

The source said further that since most of the governors were pivotal to the coming on board of these members and for the fact that they will have a say in their re-elections, the governors should be able to woo them to accepting the zoning formula of the party.

It would be recalled that the PDP at a late night meeting last Tuesday had failed in a desperate attempt to woo members of the House of Representatives to change their opposition to the party”s decision on zoning the Speakership to the Southwest.