PDP Vs Gbajabiamila: When a Bad Workman Quarrels with His Tools

PDP Vs Gbajabiamila: When a Bad Workman Quarrels with His Tools

Saturday PERSPECTIVE

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), recently accused the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, of meddling in its affairs and plotting to suspend its anointed caucus leaders in the House. To refresh the memories, the needless House of Representatives minority caucus leadership crisis ensued when the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus and the National Secretary, Senator Umar Tsauri wrote to the Speaker on 21st June, 2019 appointing Kingsley Chinda, Chukwuka Onyema, Yakubu Barde, and Muraino Ajibola as the House Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader, Minority Whip, and Deputy Minority Whip, respectively. 

However, this they did without the blessing of the minority lawmakers, which is made up of 147 members drawn from nine political parties (at least at the time). Therefore, although in comfortable majority in that caucus, the minority leadership is not strictly a PDP affair. Section 60 of the 1999 Constitution empowers the House to regulate its procedures, while Order 7 Rule 8 of the House Standing Rule clearly provides that the “Members of the Minority Parties in the House shall nominate from among them, the Minority Leader, Minority Whip, Deputy Minority Leader, and Deputy Minority Whip”. And it was on the strength of these constitutional provisions and House Rule that over 100 of the 147 minority lawmakers signed a letter conveying the names of Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, Hon. Toby Okechukwu, Hon. Gideon Gwani, and Hon. Adesogun Adekoya to the Speaker as the duly elected leaders of the minority caucus.

Rather than respect the constitution, House Rule, and democratic choice of the lawmakers, Prince Uche Secondus invited Elumelu, Okechukwu, Gwani, and Adekoya as well as Honourables Linda Ikpeazu, Wole Oke, and Anayo Edwin to an emergency meeting of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) on Friday, 5th July 2019. But PDP sent out invitations Thursday evening by which time Elumelu and others had already travelled out of Abuja. Anyone conversant with the National Assembly knows very that House plenary holds from Tuesday to Thursday after which most members head to their constituencies. Elumelu said his security received the invitation letter at 7:45pm on Thursday by which time he was already in Delta State, having lost an aunty. He requested PDP Secretariat, in writing and through his Special Assistant, for another date.

However, Secondus was so much in a hurry that he had the seven lawmakers suspended in absentia by the NWC for a period of two months, citing anti-party activities and insubordination. It also referred the matter to the Chief Tom Ikimi-led PDP Disciplinary Committee to investigate and submit report within two weeks.

Meanwhile, the Board of Trustees (BOT) had set up a Committee headed by elder statesman and former Senate President, Iyorchia Ayu to investigate the same matter. Former presiding officers – David Mark, Adolphus Wabara, Ibrahim Mantu, and Austin Opara – were also on the panel. Earlier, the PDP equally set up another Committee headed by Wabara to probe the failure/refusal of its members to vote for candidates for the Senate President, Speaker, and their deputies endorsed by it ahead of the inauguration of the 9th National Assembly on 11th June 2019. They were also given two weeks.

However, rather than consider the reports and put its house in order, the party spokesman, Kola Ologbodiyan, typical of the impunity, announced the controversial indefinite extension of the suspension earlier slammed on the lawmakers after NWC’s 9th November meeting. And in the same breath, the spokesman reiterated Chinda and company as the recogised leaders.

 The word “controversial” has been deliberately used since the Deputy National Chairman (South), Elder Yemi Akinwonmi, and the Youth Leader, Sunday Udeh-Okoye, denied any knowledge of extension of the suspension. In Akinwonmi’s words, “I am an integral part of the NWC but I am telling you that to the best of my knowledge, I am aware that he was suspended for one month and that was about six months ago and the suspension has elapsed. I am not aware of the extension of the suspension. I am not aware. I do not remember any occasion where it was elongated”.

Instructively, the reinforcement of parliamentary misconducts by Chinda and cohorts came a few days after he and the others penned a statement as PDP Minority Leader, PDP Deputy Minority Leader, PDP Minority Whip, and PDP Deputy Minority Whip. In an open mischief, targeted at spoiling Atiku Abubakar’s chances at the Supreme Court, not long after benefactor-in-chief, Governor Nyesom Wike, congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on his victory over the same Atiku at the Presidential Tribunal, the quartet listed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria the Justices that must hear the appeal.

But even more significantly, these nomenclatures paraded by Chinda and cohorts have no place in Nigerian parliament culture or rules. It was no surprise, therefore, that they attracted the angst of their colleagues, particularly of PDP stock. As a matter of fact, it was a PDP lawmaker, Hon. Ben Igbakpa (Delta), not even an All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker, which brought the matter before the House with various newspapers as exhibits. Also, it was the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ahmed Wase, who presided on the day, not even Gbajabiamila.

“It is common knowledge that on July 3, 2019, the Honourable Speaker, in line with Order 7 Rule 8 of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives (which empowers the minority parties to nominate their leaders), announced the Minority Leaders of the House. This was consequently published in the Votes and Proceedings of the some date.

“In spite of this, Mr. Speaker, some members of this House, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, Hon. Chukwuma Onyema, Hon. Umar Barde and Hon. Muraina Ajibola parading themselves as PDP Caucus Leader, Deputy Caucus Leader, Minority Whip and Deputy Minority Whip have been issuing public statements outside the nomenclature of this House; misleading the general public and causing confusion and disaffection in the House of Representatives. This is a gross abuse of our collective and individual privileges.

“This violates Section 24, Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, Cap L.12, Laws of Federation of Nigeria, 2004 as well extant provisions of the Standing Orders of this House”, he complained.

The matter was referred to the Ethics and Privileges Committee of the House, and hearing was conducted in camera wherein Chinda and the three others were given fair hearing, unlike the case of Elumelu and his colleagues, who were hurriedly suspended by Secondus-manipulated NWC in absentia and certainly without fair hearing.

The Scriptures says that the wicked runs when nothing pursues him, for there is no piece for the wicked. It is obviously the awaited report of the Committee that Chinda and Secondus are now trying to shoot down with cheap blackmail even before it is laid before the House.

The irony, however, is that the PDP is more interested in the report of the House probe than in simple house-keeping, in dealing with the various reports turned in by eminent party men and former presiding officers of the National and Assembly, who should know whether Elumelu and the suspended lawmakers erred or not.

The PDP leadership should feel thoroughly embarrassed that it is playing hide and seek over important reports by its own Committee, but takes pleasure in gallivanting about, poke-nosing into the House business. Whereas Ologbodiyan told reporters last December that “We are waiting for the report of the Tom Ikimi National Disciplinary Committee; they have not sent the report”, Ikimi was quick to expose the Secondus’ duplicity when he told reporters that “I cannot tell you the content of the report; all I can tell you is that the report has been submitted a long time ago”.

Obviously, They are more interested in illegally keeping Elumelu and compatriots eternally suspended while also trying to whip up public sentiments against the House Ethics and Privileges Committee Report to avert possible sanctions.

In this circumstance, it is up to Nigerians to judge, who, between PDP leadership and Gbajabiamila is the unholy meddlesome interloper. One, presiding officer discharging his duties in accordance with the constitution, House Standing Rule, and democratic rights of his colleagues to choose their leader or one, who plays God, employing intimidation and imperiousness to shove his unpopular choices down the throats of his party members duly elected by their constituents?

Asuquo lives in Surulere, Lagos.

Pix : Uche Secondus.jpg

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