Of Wase and Controversies

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ahmed Wase, launched into anothercontroversial last week, when he shut down a motion perceived to be against the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami. Adedayo Akinwale writes

For the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ahmed Wase, it’s one week, one controversy. Whether Wase is presiding or contributing to a debate on the floor of the House, his controversial choices must be brought to bear. It appears no one can really separate the lawmaker from controversy.

Despite the fact that Wase is an experienced lawmaker, who has been in the hallowed chamber for more than a decade, his sectarian views always get the better of him whenever any issue is discussed in the Chamber.

In March, Wase came under fire from Nigerians, when he stoutly prevented a member representing Gwer East, Gwer West Federal Constituency of Benue State, Hon. Mark Gbillah, from presenting a petition against the federal government over the alleged takeover of their lands by Fulani herdsmen.

The petition filed by Mzough U Tiv Amerika (MUTA) on insecurity in Benue, Nasarawa, and Taraba accused the federal government of nonchalance towards the perils facing those, who have been displaced as a result of herdsmen activities.

But Wase said Nigerians abroad were not eligible to file petitions against the federal government on crimes linked to herdsmen, arguing that Nigerians abroad had no rights to file a petition on the crisis, but that it would be understandable if the petition came from those in the country.

“Honourable Gbillah, did you say Tivs in America? What do they know about Nigeria? What is their business? They can’t sit in their comfort zones and know what is happening in Nigeria,” Wase said.

Rejecting the petition, Wase contended: “I’ll refer you to the functions of the committee on diaspora, if you go through that, it is nothing relevant to what you’re now presenting. I’m not convinced that we have to take that petition.”

When Nigerians thought Wase should have learnt his lesson and portray himself as a national leader rather than a sectional representative, considering the office he holds, he dropped another bombshell when he said the Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, should be in prison for his failure to produce the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, just like Senator Ali Ndume was taken to prison for his inability to produce Abdulrasheed Maina.

Wase made the comment recently while contributing to a debate following a point-of-order raised by Hon. Sada Soli, who said his privilege was breached when the Minority Leader of the House, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, allegedly told journalists that some All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers approached him about their planned defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Deputy Speaker said it was out of place for Elumelu to have divulged to journalists what he described as a confidential matter, which was discussed during an executive session.

Wase said: “There is a kind of false situation that I am seeing, because after that meeting, PDP caucus of the two chambers went and had another discussion. We need to be serious. I see someone like Abaribe as a leader in the Senate championing that. Yes, there are many flaws. He bailed Nnamdi Kanu, and during the #EndSARS protest, we knew what happened. Kanu then was the one who was asking for the head of Tinubu.

“But we have allowed him. He knew what happened to Ndume. Ndume, who bailed Maina, was taken to prison for not producing him, but we allowed this man to go, because he is in opposition. Ordinarily, for failing to produce Kanu, he (Abaribe) should be in prison, just like Ndume was taken to prison for not producing Maina,” he then said.

Wase was at it again last week when he presided over the plenary in the absence of the Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and shut down a motion to debate comments made by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, on open grazing.

Recall that the 17 Southern Governors recently canvassed for the ban of open grazing after a meeting in Asaba, Delta State. The Governors saw the move as one of the ways of tackling the escalating insecurity in the country.

But Malami, while fielding questions on a live TV programme, kicked against the open grazing ban. He compared the Southern governors’ decision to Northern governors banning spare parts trading in the North, considering the fact that the majority of spare parts traders in the North are from the South.

His words: “It is about constitutionality. Within the context of the freedoms enshrined in our constitution, can you deny a right of a Nigerian? It is as good as saying maybe the Northern governors coming together to say that they prohibit spare parts trading in the North. Does it hold water? Does it hold water for a Northern governor to come and state expressly that he now prohibits spare parts trading in the North?.”

Baffled with the comment by the AGF and a feeling that his privilege has been breached, Hon. Solomon Bob from Rivers State at the Thursday plenary raised a point of order to bring the attention of the House to the comment, which he said was capable of fueling crisis in the country.

The lawmaker described Malami’s comments as disingenuous, irresponsible and loaded with incendiary tropes and ethnic slur, praying that he should be called to order.

Typical of Wase, each time the Deputy Speaker perceives a threat to the interest of the North, he is quick to latch on to House Orders, which are not relevant to the subject of discourse.

As expected, a drama soon ensued when the lawmaker was stopped midway in his point of order by the Deputy Speaker on the ground that he was going outside the Order he relied upon.

Nevertheless, Bob got the green light to speak after citing Order 6 and its relevant subsections. But Wase asked the lawmaker to take his seat, saying the order was wrongly cited.

Bob pleaded Wase’s understanding to drive home his points and perhaps, be ruled out of order eventually, but his pleas were not taken as he was asked to resume his seat.

“The order in which you are bringing this matter is wrong. It’s either you bring it as a full motion but coming under matters of privilege is wrong so take your seat”, Wase ruled.

When contacted after the plenary, Bob insisted that Malami’s comments lacked any basis in law but were instead capable of exacerbating the tense situation in the country.

He said Section 41 of the constitution, which the minister alluded to, deals with freedom of movement of human persons, not animals, and comparing that with spare parts business is “bad politics which is akin to preparing the ground for violent attacks on dealers in the business in the northern parts of the country”.

The lawmaker cautioned the AGF to be mindful of his role under the constitution as the chief law officer of the federation and refrain from “divisive utterances that cast him as sectional and partisan”.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Ajibola Basiru, also chided Malami over his ‘less than dignifying’ argument of equating open grazing with Southerners selling spare parts in the North.

He, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to, without further delay, relieve Malami of his position as the nation’s number one law officer.

Basiru, who spoke in his personal capacity on Thursday said the AGF might have forgotten that Nigeria is a federal system with the state governments empowered to make and implement laws for the peace, order and good government of or any part of their respective states.

“It was not dignifying of the status of the Nation’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice to make such remarks. Equating the activities of archaic nomadic herdsmen destroying peoples means of livelihood with others legitimately carrying on businesses by selling spare parts in their shops standslogic on its head. This power is derived from the Constitution, which with the Land Use Act, vested on the Governors the management of all lands within the territory of the state,” he stated.

The lawmaker also challenged the AGF to cite relevant sections of the constitution that allowed the herders to trespass on other people’s lands and destroy the crops in the guise of freedom of movement, adding that Malami’s comment was less than patriotic.

Basiru observed that the quest to promote unity and prosperity of Nigeria was the utmost responsibility of government and actions of persons in authority must be seen to protect the corporate existence of Nigeria, adding that the primacy of this onerous responsibility could not be over emphasised in the face of rising tensions along ethnic/regional fault lines that have damaged national unity.

He reiterated that Malami’s statement was capable of derailing the unity, peace and progress of Nigeria and as such called for the immediate removal from office of the AGF saying, anyone who could not rise above primordial sentiments and pursuit of parochial ethnic agenda needs not occupy position of trust especially at this time of sectional agitations.

Basiru added: “This kind of statement has made Nigeria a laughing stock in the comity of nations and in fact, they ridicule the administration of President Buhari. These statements are not giving hope to those at the receiving end of the activities of the herdsmen.
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