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| House of Representatives showdown |
The proceedings of the House of Representatives turned rowdy
and almost bloody yesterday morning when it had barely started after an attempt
by a lawmaker from Sokoto State, Hon. Abdullahi Balarabe Salame, to snatch the
Mace, which is the symbol of authority, caused a commotion which quickly
degenerated into a free-for-all in the Green Chamber.
But the leadership of the
House through and ad-hoc committee on media and public affairs told members of
the House Press Corps later in the day that the events leading to the
disruption of proceedings were pre-meditated by the masterminds.
The committee headed by
Hon. Mohammed Sani Zoro (APC, Jigawa), however apologized to Nigerians on
behalf of the House, adding that the conduct of culprits amounted to “contempt
of the House and is in clear violation of the Standing Orders of the House and
Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act” and the customs and traditions
of Parliament.
Leadership report continues:
“The House wishes to
state that the action of these members is regrettable and not in consonance
with the objectives of the 8th Assembly as the House is set to continue
deliberation on its Legislative Agenda and other matters that directly affect
the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians,” he said.
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Hon. Hassan Ado Doguwa
(APC, Kano) stepped unto the front table where the law books were placed to
chant ‘APC’ and was violently pulled down by opposing lawmakers. Another
lawmaker had his clothes torn to shreds while a lawmaker with a traditional
Kwankwasiya rep cap was also seen carrying a chair in an attempt to smash it on
colleagues in the ongoing commotion.
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The day began like any
other day in the House with members seated ahead of the arrival of the Speaker,
Hon. Yakubu Dogara, who stepped into the chamber at about 11am to kick-start
the day’s proceedings.
The drama, which started
almost immediately after the arrival of the Speaker, was not unconnected to the
sharp divisions in the House over the appointment of its principal officers, a
situation that has polarized the House since its inauguration on June 9, 2015.
The Speaker had, after
saying the opening prayer and sensing the divisive mood of the members, called
on the chairman of the ad-hoc committee on Rules and Business, Hon. Orker Jev,
to move a motion for an executive session apparently to iron out differences on
the appointment of the House principal officers.
At that point, lawmakers
from the All Progressives Congress (APC) led by Hon. Salame, a former Speaker
of Sokoto State House of Assembly, began to shout ‘Point of Order’ and surged
towards the Speaker and the mace. They eventually grabbed the Mace but they
were resisted by other members, a situation which degenerated into chaos in the
House.
The fracas which involved
APC members and officials of the Sergeant-at-arms division of the National
Assembly saw of their counterparts from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
joining in protecting the Mace while others rushed to Speaker Dogara’s seat to
form a human shield around him.
The struggle for the
custody of the mace lasted for about 20 minutes with the men of the Sergeant-at-arms
supported by Dogara’s loyalists protecting it from being taken away.
Subsequently, lawmakers
loyal to Dogara’s main challenger at the June 9 election for the House
speakership, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, started chanting slogans such as: ‘’All we
are saying, give us Gbaja,’’ while their PDP counterparts responded by shouting
‘’shame’’ at every mention of “change”- the APC slogan.
Journalists and
spectators seated at the gallery were amazed as lawmakers were seen pushing and
wrestling one another to the ground, with some others throwing law books,
Encyclopaedia of Parliament, at the direction of the Speaker while Dogara’s
loyalists responded by throwing same back at his opponents.
A group of secondary
school students were on excursion visit to the National Assembly at the time of
the commotion, and they were astounded by the show of shame.
By 11:57am, Gbajabiamila,
Hon. Tahir Monguno, and Leo Ogor reached out to the Speaker apparently for an
amicable resolution of the logjam but at a point the uproar continued.
When it was 12:30pm,
agitated members returned to their respective seats while the Speaker asked for
a motion for members to resume plenary.
At 12:38pm, a member was
seen assaulting another and this momentarily disrupted proceedings again, but
one minute later, normalcy was restored and the Speaker addressed members,
describing the uproar as unfortunate.
“To be candid, we have
promised so much in the course of our elections and even the very party I
belong to, the APC, we have promised ‘change’ and Nigerians expect us to really
talk about those matters, those issues that bother them most.
“They want to hear us
talk about unemployment, poverty. In my region, they want us to address
insecurity and as long as this House is divided and not united, we cannot
achieve that,” he said.
He, however, promised
that the lingering leadership crisis in the House, which led to the fracas,
would be resolved as soon as possible.
Dogara, thereafter,
adjourned proceedings of the House to Tuesday, July 21, 2015, and was ushered
out of the chamber by the sergeant-at-arms.
He returned to his office
to attend to other matters and his convoy was later seen leaving the National
Assembly complex at 5:23pm.
House Fracas, Evidence Of
APC’s Lack Of Capacity – PDP
The opposition PDP
yesterday said the ugly development in the House of Representatives cast a
doubt over President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC’s commitment to democracy,
unity and the stability of the country.
The party condemned the
incident which it called a show of shame and a national embarrassment.
The PDP said the
disgraceful act is a direct consequence of President Buhari’s lack of
democratic credentials to reign in his party, to respect the independence and
sanctity of the legislative arm of government, the very citadel of democracy,
as enshrined in the nation’s constitution.
PDP national publicity
secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement yesterday, said: “The barbaric
attempt to physically assault a duly elected Speaker, seize the mace, the
authority of the House, is a direct attack on the Nigerian parliament which
embodies the supremacy of the people and our freedom as a democratic nation”.
The party said what
Nigerians witnessed in the House clearly underscored the fact that the APC had
exhausted its excuses and had now imported its internal contradictions into an
independent arm of government as a way to further cover its lack of ideas for
governance.
It further stated that
intelligence available to it showed that “the brawling APC lawmakers ostensibly
acted on instructions from the Presidency, an obvious indication that President
Buhari is largely an interested party whose involvement is beyond mere body
language.”
National Assembly Crisis:
We Stand On Our list of Principal Officers – APC
Meanwhile, APC has
strongly condemned what transpired at both chambers of the National Assembly
yesterday.
In a statement issued by
its national secretary, Alhaji Mai Mala Buni, the party said it
stood by the list sent by the party to the president of the Senate and the
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
He added that the
national caucus, Board of Trustees (BOT) and NEC of the party will meet within
the next few days to discuss the developments in the National Assembly.
Blame Dogara for
disregarding party’s decision – APC Caucus
Immediately after the
House adjourned, members of the APC Caucus in the House addressed a press
conference where they blamed the situation on the alleged insistence of Dogara
to defy the party’s decision on the appointment of principal officers of the
House.
Hon. Nasiru Sani Zangon
Daura, who addressed journalists on behalf of others, said as “loyal and
disciplined majority APC Caucus” in the House, they were fully committed to
ensuring that APC and President Buhari’s manifesto, agenda and positions
prevail despite the efforts of the opposition party and people he described
“few disloyal and undisciplined APC party members” in the House.
“The action that occurred
inside the chamber of the House of Representatives was in reaction to the
illegal and unconstitutional action taken by Speaker Yakubu Dogara of the House
of Representatives, an action in his usual tradition of total disregard to the
wishes of the majority members of the APC Caucus, the party itself and the
spirit of the party.
“We are aware of a letter
sent by our party, APC, dated 23rd June, 2015 conveying the approval of the
party’s principal officers vis-Ã -vis the APC House Leader, the APC Chief Whip,
the APC Deputy House Leader and the APC Deputy Chief Whip for the House of
Representatives.”
Therefore, it said,
Speaker Dogara cannot, under extant Laws and House Rules, dictate how principal
officers emerge.
“That responsibility and
authority lies with each party and party’s caucus members in the House,” Zangon
Daura said.
No Crisis In APC, Only
Teething Problems – Nda Isaiah
A former presidential
aspirant of the APC, Sam Nda-Isaiah, has described the current National
Assembly leadership challenges as ‘teething problems” to the party, but the
party is not in crisis.
Nda-Isaiah, who stated
this yesterday in Abeokuta while speaking with journalists after attending a
lunch organised by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in honour of the
Secretary General of the World Anglican Communion, His Lordship, Josiah
Idowu-Fearon, denied that the party was facing a crisis.
“The party operates as a
democracy within democracy,” he said and maintained that the party had an
internal mechanism to deal with the situation.
He further noted that
unlike the PDP “where candidates are imposed, where forms are sold to certain
people, APC operates on the principles of justice where everybody is equal.”
He described as normal
the events at the National Assembly, saying it was as a result of the openness
allowed by the party, as it did not support the anointment of candidates.
PDP Caucus to Buhari:
Call your members to order
For their part, a
coalition of the PDP Caucus and other minority parties in the House, led by
Hon. Leo Ogor, called on President Buhari to call lawmakers of his party to
order, describing their action as embarrassing.
“A very embarrassing and
unpleasant action took place from the APC group. They decided to take laws into
their hands, turned the House upside down and went as far as even carrying the
mace which is the symbol of authority.
“I appeal that this
should not happen again. May I therefore, on behalf of the Nigerian people,
call on the president, Muhammadu Buhari, to try to call this group of rioters
to order. It is in our collective interest that we respect the principles of
democracy,” Ogor said.
LEADERSHIP recalls that
two days ago, the leadership of the APC had written Dogara over its choice of
principal officers in the House, a move some viewed as imposition while others
were of the opinion that the party is supreme and its decision must be
respected.
Why PMB Won’t Interfere
In NASS Leadership Crisis – Presidency
The presidency yesterday
explained why President Muhammadu Buhari refused to interfere with the ongoing
National Assembly leadership tussle, saying Nigerians who understand the basics
of politics should know that the country is no more in the military era when
decrees were made by a single leader.
According to it, Buhari,
as the leader of the APC, has remained consistent in his belief that the
National Assembly is independent, a belief which it said would guide the
president’s approach to the leadership crisis in the Senate.
Senior special assistant
to the president on media and publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, made the presidency’s
position known during an interview on yesterday morning’s edition of ‘Sunrise
Daily’ on Channels Television.
He also clarified the
issue of who the real leader of the APC was.
“Does it need to be said?
I don’t think it needs to be said that the president is the leader of his
party. There’s no question about it,” he asserted.
He stated this apparently
dismiss the claim by some Nigerians that the crisis in the National Assembly is
as a result of APC’s seeming position that it does not have an individual as a
leader the party could turn to in times of crisis to unify its members.
On why the president had
not been interfering in the leadership crisis at the National Assembly, Shehu
said that, besides, APC governors had already asked Buhari to maintain a
neutral posture and allow them to handle the lawmakers since they are products
of their various states.
He, however, affirmed
that in the event where the governors are unable to resolve the matter, the
President would wade in directly.
“The president has a
responsibility to the party, the president has a responsibility to the nation
and, as far as we are looking at the situation, it has not gotten out of
control.”
Senator Leadership:
Saraki Names Ndume, Na’Allah, Alimekhena As Principal Officers
At last, the Senate APC
caucus yesterday announced its principal officers, with Senator Ali Ndume (APC,
Borno South) emerging as its majority leader.
The Senate also adjourned
for a three-week recess and would resume on July 21.
Making the announcement
at yesterday’s plenary, Senate President Bukola Saraki also disclosed that
Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah (APC, Kebbi South) is the deputy majority leader
while Senator Francis Alimikhena (APC, Edo North) is the deputy whip.
This announcement is,
however, a departure from the directive contained in a letter of nominations
sent to the Senate president by the national chairman of the APC, Chief John
Oyegun, which named Senator Ahmed Lawal for the position of Senate majority
leader, George Akume for deputy majority leader, Olusola Adeyeye as chief whip
and Abu Ibrahim as deputy whip.
LEADERSHIP reports that
in defiance of the party’s nominations, members of the Like Minds Senators
group insisted on choosing their own leaders.
It was gathered that
during Wednesday night’s meetings Saraki held with all the zonal caucuses, they
all maintained that the party will not be allowed to dictate who the principal
leaders will be, even though there was opposition from some APC members.
However, shortly after
the announcement of the principal officers, Senator Kabiru Marafa (APC, Zamfara
State) rose on rule 28(1) of the Senate Standing Order and Section 65 of the
Constitution.
He said that, based on
the provisions of the two portions cited, the selection of Ndume, Na’Allah and
Alimikhena were in breach of the procedures of the Senate and the constitution
as it was the majority party that should have nominated principal officers and
not zonal caucuses.
But he was swiftly
countered by Sen Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe State) who noted that he was raising
an issue which had been concluded.
Goje said, “I would like
Mr President to stand by the ruling on Wednesday that the issue has been
concluded and should not be re-opened. No rule said the chairman of the party
should appoint the Senate leadership. The law says that we, the senators,
should elect from among ourselves. Since 1999 till date, caucuses in the zones
have been nominating their leaders.”
Ruling on the matter,
Senate president Saraki drew the attention of his colleagues to rule 63 of the
Standing Order which states that an issue that had already been concluded
cannot be reintroduced in the same assembly.
Salary/Allowances: Senate
Inaugurates Finance Review C’tte
The Senate has
inaugurated a committee saddled with the responsibility of restructuring its
finances in line with the present economic realities and making them more open
to the public.
Speaking during the
inauguration of the committee headed by Senator James Manager (PDP, Delta
State) at the National Assembly yesterday, Saraki urged the members to clarify
all ambiguities in their salaries and entitlements and make them more open and
transparent.
He stated, “The subject
of reduction in cost of governance has been a sensitive matter on the front burner
of national issues in the polity especially with regards to the legislature.
“The 8th Senate under our
watch recognises the concerns raised by Nigerians about the cost of running
office, especially with the economic challenges facing our nation.
“The Senate will be more
transparent regarding all public funds spent for the purpose of paying salaries
and allowances of legislators and ensure that distinction is sufficiently made
between what a legislator actually earns and what is spent to run and implement
legislative business and committee activities.”
The Senate president
mandated the committee “to carry out a thorough fiscal examination on the
Senate’s finances with the aim of coming up with the best cost-effective regime
in the 8th Senate.”
Similarly, the Senate
president also inaugurated the Legislative Agenda committee for the Senate.
Headed by the Senate
majority leader, Sen Mohammed Ali Ndume, the committee is saddled with the
responsibility of charting a renewed course for the 8th Senate.
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