PDP Reps Plan Legal Action To Stop 774,000 Jobs Scheme

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the House of Representatives threatened to take legal action against regime led by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and top officials of the Federal Government for allegedly undermining the National Assembly, especially on the Special Public Works Scheme by the Federal Government.

The PDP caucus, which said it “unequivocally rejected and dissociated itself” from the programme, admonished its members to ignore the letters written to senators and House members by state coordinators of the National Directorate of Employment on behalf of the Minister of State for Labour, Employment and Productivity, Festus Keyamo (SAN).

The lawmaker particularly accused Keyamo and the NDE management of disregarding the parliament under Buhari’s watch.

Also, the caucus apologised to Nigerians for being part of the National Assembly that approved the N52bn for the implementation of the programme in the 2020 Appropriation Act.

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The lawmakers also declared the N20,000 stipend to be paid to each beneficiary for three months as illegal as it is against the provisions of the National Minimum Wages Act.

The leader of the caucus, Mr Kingsley Chinda, said these in a statement on Monday, titled, ‘774,000 Job Scheme: PDP Caucus Says Scheme Politically Motivated, Unsustainable…Vows to Employ Legal Action to Address Encroachment of Statutory Functions, Fundamental Human Rights’.

Chinda added, “The PDP caucus of the House, as members of the National Assembly, does not exonerate itself from responsibility in the approval of funds for implementation of the misguided Special Public Works Programme and unreservedly apologise to Nigerians for the planned misapplication of their scarce resources.

“The blatant and brazen disregard of a co-equal arm of government and elected representatives of the Nigerian people by the Minister of State, who was grandstanding before the Nigerian people and the tacit approval of his actions by the President in authorising his continued implementation of this skewed programme, regardless of definite pronouncements by the National Assembly and apparent violations of legislation in this regard, confirms the Buhari administration’s aversion to the rule of law, constitutional provisions and institutions, and disinterest in the wellbeing of the Nigerian people.”