In spite of the many challenges facing the country, lawmakers elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in the House of Representatives, last week, resorted to petty politics, Adedayo Akinwale writes
Since the security challenge facing the country took a turn for the worse, the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government has taken every step to divert the attention of Nigerians by absorbing President Muhammadu Buhari of every blame due to him in spite of the fact that his unenviable leadership style has brought the country to the lowest ebb.
This, it has done by hiring the services of civil society organisations and pro-APC groups, who have maintained constant presence in the media by organising various press conferences, spinning all sorts of conspiracy theories and accusing the opposition parties and their governors of being behind the security menace that is crippling the country.
In fairness to both chambers of the National Assembly – the Senate and the House of Representatives– they have not been found wanting and neither have they shied away from contributing and offering solutions, including passage of various resolutions to finding a lasting solution to the intractable security challenge.
Even though as laudable as their resolutions have been, the security problem keeps getting worse and it appears the Buhari presidency has no answer to it.
Considering the intervention the House, under the leadership of Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, has made in various national issues, it was appalling that the House fell below the standard it has set for itself,when the APC lawmakers at the plenary last Thursday resorted to petty politics on the floor of the House, while ignoring important issues begging for their attention.
The APC lawmakers veered off a debate following a point of order raised by Hon. Sada Soli, who claimed his privilege was breached by the utterances of the Minority Leader, Hon Ndudi Elumelu, who had at the recent National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), hinted that many lawmakers on the platform of APC had indicated interest to join them ahead of the 2023 general elections.
“I am pleased to report to NEC that given our unrelenting efforts, many of our colleagues in the APC have seen reasons to join forces with us and they have expressed their readiness to cross over to our party for the patriotic task ahead,” Elumelu had said.
Soli, who was not pleased with the statement credited to Elumelu, said going to press to say members of the ruling party had concluded plans to move to PDP had prompted a barrage of enquiries from his constituents, who wanted to know if he was one of them.
Gbajabiamila, however, noted the privilege and ruled on the matter, saying people are at liberty to move, recalling that many from the opposition party had also shown theirs openly on the floor of the House.
It was at this point that the Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Toby Okechukwu, rose in defence of Elumelu by raising another point of order. Okechukwu argued that Soli’s privilege was not breached in any way, adding that at no time did Soli go to Elumelu or the Minority Leader referring to his comment as the resolution of the House.
He stated: “There was no breach of privilege. He didn’t say Sada came to him. He didn’t say it is the resolution of the House. He said some people came to him. And it is clear that Sada has been criss-crossing in this chamber. If other members are interested in moving to PDP, I do not see how it affects him. Like the Speaker rightly said, anyone has liberty.”
Responding, the Speaker said while there is freedom of speech, one has to be reasonable enough to measure his words, stressing that NEC is a major party forum.
At this point, the House Deputy Speaker, Hon Ahmed Wase, who is known for his unapologetic ethnic stand indicated interest to speak.
When the floor was yielded to him, Wase took on Elumelu, recalling that he left off the Executive session of the House to join Abaribe in solidarity in a press conference, where they listed the “sins” of President Muhammadu Buhari and threatened him with impeachment.
He stated categorically that the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Eyinmaya Abaribe should be in prison now for his failure to produce the leader of the Indegenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, just like Senator Ali Ndume was taken to prison for his failure to produce Abdulrasheed Maina.
The Deputy Speaker said for Elumelu to have divulged to the press what he described as confidential matter, which was discussed during an executive session was out of place.
Wase stated: “There is a kind of falsehood that I am seeing because after that meeting, the PDP caucus of the two chambers went and had another discussion. We need to be serious. I see someone as Abaribe – is leader in the Senate championing that. Yes, there are many flaws. He bailed Nnamdi Kanu and during the #EndSARS, we knew what happened.
“Kanu then was the one, who was asking for the head of Tinubu – destroy this, destroy that in the nation. But we have allowed him. He knew what happened to Ndume. Ndume for bailing Maina was taken to prison for not producing, but we allowed this man to go as an opposition person.
“What is happening, sir, I think there is a need for us as a system to change our tactics. It is not about opposition. If you want to do opposition, do opposition that is right and also be part of the solution to problems.”
The Deputy Speaker insisted that the privileges of APC lawmakers were breached due to the statement credited to Elumelu.
Wase noted that there was completely wrong information and it was deliberate, saying it was why he cited the issue of what Abaribe did, with all the PDP lawmakers behind you.
According to him, ordinarily for failing to produce Kanu Nnamdi, he should be in prison, just like Ndume was taken to prison.
While raising a point of order, Hon. Uzoma Nkem-Abonta said, there is a judicial decision on the matter, and wondered why the House was trying to arrogate judicial powers to itself.
Abonta said: “It was canvassed up to appeal. Is it an offense to bail somebody? If you bail somebody you produce him, subject to there is no interference. The last contact the man in question had was with the military. The Senator, who bailed the man was going to court regularly. The Senator did not default. He was called to show cause and he showed cause successfully. Why is it a point of reference in the parliament?
“Except we are trying to sit as an appellate court or interfere with the judiciary. The matter went the full whole course with the judiciary. He was asked to show cause and he showed cause. We should ask the military where they kept him. So, for us to come here and submission to that is not proper. We should do things that would get us peace. Our problem now is security. How do we get security?”
In his ruling, the House Speaker said Wase’s point was not on legality or illegality, adding that he was talking about the morality of it.
He said Wase talked about Senator Ndume as well and used that as an example.
His words: “I think the point we need to make and understand is that we are all working together to build this nation. Nation building is a joint task amongst all of us – whatever party, whatever tribe, whatever religion. We only have one country.
“In doing that, we should be mindful whilst we play our role as a ruling party, whilst we play our roles as opposition. We should be focused on the non-disintegration or bringing down of the country. We should be mindful of our speeches or our utterances. There is freedom of speech, but freedom to speak also has to be measured. I think that was the point that was being made.”
Gbajabiamila stressed that the bigger point was that the House had an executive session and that it was traditional in parliament to have executive sessions. He said during the executive session, it is customary that the gallery is cleared and most times, whatever was discussed still finds its way to the pages of the papers and wondered how it got leaked.
The Speaker said, “I think that was the point that was being made. The bigger point is that we had an executive session and it is traditional in parliament to have executive sessions. When you have executive sessions, you clear the chambers, you clear the gallery and everybody leaves, because we want to talk to each other as a body.
Whatever transpires in the executive session, sometimes we find it on the pages of papers and we wonder how it got leaked.
“I think the point he was making is that we should not get carried away, because we are in a party caucus and reveal whatever was discussed. Even without revealing the names of who said what and did not say what, it is still a revelation of what transpired behind closed doors otherwise members would not be able to open up and discuss when they come to executive session.
“Let us put this matter to rest. Let us on either side work together to move the country forward and let not partisan politics come between us or have a role in the direction we are going as a country. We have a security summit coming up in a few days with members of PDP, Labour, APC and that is the spirit we should carry on.”
