As the search for the Ninth Senate President reaches a critical stage, the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Sen. Ahmed Bola Tinubu, says that a repetition of what happened in 2015 would not be tolerated in 2019.
He also cautioned those vying for the office of the senate president and speaker house of Reps to be mindful of their actions.
While invariably referring to Senator Ndume and other aggrieved lawmakers who are vying for the post of Speaker and Senate President in the Ninth assembly, Tinubu said that party members should either stay with them or follow them or leave them.
“It is either you stay with us or you follow us or you leave”, he said.
“Party discipline is key, we must be discipline in the party. We were a little careless in 2015. We created the opportunity for serpent to get into our party and that did not allow Nigeria to make the desired progress.
“You have seen the result of it and we are not going to allow that to happen again. We are going to respect our party and we are going to apply the whip.
“It is either you stay with us or you follow us or you leave. You have the freedom to choose but the freedom does not give you as a minority to go and collaborate and protrude our mandate given to you to another party who was our opposition and who is still our opposition.
“We would not take that this time, no matter who you think you are. That is how it is built. Why do you want to deviate from what has been structured? “We look at our reward system equally, zone by zone,” he said.
Tinubu said that his life as a politician at 67 had been a fulfilling journey.
“When I joined politics, there were a lot of uncertainties because it was during the military regime. There were lots of struggles but my concern is about people and the future of my country.
“My mother stood by me when I told her then that I was joining politics. She told me to be ready to take all sorts of insults whenever they cross my way. May her soul rest in peace.
“The struggle was tough. It created a justice on June 12 election of MKO and some people deserted the camp, the struggle, the spirit.
“We have stayed with this struggle. We know democracy is not easy but it is the only system of government that we chose,” he said.