Nigerians not happy with the turn of events in the House of Representatives

A typical Nigerian politician is a desperado.

 They have shown that an insignificant number of 360 or 409 can hold over 170 million people to ransom. They have shown that it was not all about governance but politics.

By their unyielding actions, they have distorted the meaning of the word “change”. Somebody still needs to remind them that change isn’t about displacing the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP or getting victory but about managing it  for greater good. That is change.

But this is what many of the federal assembly men and women especially from the stable of the All Progressives Congress, APC do not know and so, have decided to keep the country immobile in the last one month. How can anyone admit that all is with Nigeria when the lawmakers elected to enact laws for the country have brazenly engaged themselves in unending fireworks, throwing tantrums over positions within the leadership of the assembly?

                                  

What sort of benefit is accrued to the offices that the two factions in the House of Representatives wouldn’t bulge for peace sake? In case, you don’t know, the crisis rocking the House is not over yet. Your Honourables, yes, your Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and Speaker, Yakubu Dogara’s camps of supporters are still fighting dirty over who gets the four principal officers positions in the Green Chamber. The Majority Leader, Deputy Majority Leader, Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip. The camps have defied every entreaty by the Aminu Tambuwal mediatory committee to shift grounds.

At first, Gbajabiamila’s camp insisted that the four positions must be theirs, citing Party supremacy. Amid pressure, Dogara’s camp eventually shifted grounds and relinquished the House Majority Leader’s position among others but with a caveat that it must not be occupied by someone from South west or north east.

Their reason according to their spokesman, Rep. Abdulmumuni Jibril is that Dogara has taken the slot of the North east while his deputy, Rep. Yusuf Lasun has also filled South West Slot. They advocated for federal character which would allow other geopolitical zones to benefit so as to establish a sense of belonging.

Their position as stated in a communique through “The House Consolidation Group” is as stated below:

“The attention of   the House Consolidation Group has been drawn to a statement issued on behalf of some members of the APC that lost the recent election for the position of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the   House of Representatives.

The Group wishes to make the following clarifications: 

·       That in the election of the House principal officers, every geopolitical zone of Nigeria deserves to be represented and it is embarrassing for some Members of the House to dismiss the issue of equitable representation as “hogwash”.

·       The argument that the the South East Zone produced only two “new” members, who do not have cognate legislative experience and therefore not entitled to be represented in the principal officers cadre of the House is most inaccurate and unfortunate.

·       In the first place, any person acquainted with the Rules and practice of the House knows that a new member is regarded as having “cognate legislative experience” immediately he is sworn in as a Member as it is only new members- elect that are affected by the Rule. Secondly, established precedents in the Senate and House   of Representatives show consistent respect for zonal representation in the election of principal officers, even when there are only a few from a zone.

·       It is as a result of this, that the 7th Senate, elected Senator Ayoola Hosea Agboola, Deputy Chief Whip, even though he was the only Member from his party from the South West. Furthermore, in the 7th House of Representatives, Hon Mulikat Akande, was made House Leader even though she was one of only five members from her party from her   Zone.

·       Even only recently, in the 8th Senate, Senator Francis Alimikhena, from the South South has been made Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, a principal officer , even though he is a “new” member and the only member of APC from the South South.  

·       In any case, apart from the South East being denied a principal officer position, the so called Party position completely shut out the North Central Zone with 33 APC Members.

This so called Party position, if allowed to stand,   would result in the South West producing the Deputy Speaker and Leader of the House and North East would produce Speaker and Chief Whip of the House. This is most unfair and inequitable. In fact, there is no evidence that any of the Organs of the Party, APC, such as the National Working Committee, the National Caucus or National Executive Committee, approved such an unjust outcome. We insist that this is   not even the Party position.

·       For the avoidance of doubt, we need to correct the erroneous assertion that there was a resolution at the recent NEC meeting of APC on Party supremacy that recognized any one as House Leader or any other principal officer of the House.. The matter was not an item on the Agenda of the APC NEC meeting and no such resolution or decision was taken.” But the advocacy was repudiated by Gbajabiamila’s camp. Read their position submitted through APC Loyalist group

·       “We the 174 APC Loyalists group of the House are aware that there was a private discussion between Gov. Aminu Tambuwal and President Muhammadu Buhari  on Tuesday evening  at the State House . Also aware that Gov. Tambuwal briefed the press that there would be a meeting between him and Speaker   Dogara’s group same day.

·       “To the best of our knowledge, no counter-offer has been made to the APC Loyalists group after her first meeting with Tambuwal peace committee wherein the APC Loyalists clearly stated that in line with party supremacy resolution reached at last APC NEC meeting, the position of the party on Femi Gbajabiamila as the House Leader is non negotiable.

                                         

·       “We understand that the Dogara group is now playing the zoning card after same group had hitherto before the speakership election of June 9th, 2015 rejected the zoning formula of the party prior to the mock election. Interestingly the six geopolitical zones in the country are not recognised by the constitution. But if they wish to play the zoning card then the Senate and House cannot be headed by the North.”

Where does this leave Nigeria and the people? Of what impact would the discrepancies make on the common man on the street? When will this brouhaha end

Those who had thought that President Mohammadu Buhari would wade into the matter had been disappointed. The president on his own would have loved to but he is obviously restrained by constitution of the land which emphasizes the concept of Separation of Powers.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina said president Buhari would not do more than follow an established process, discarding calls for assertiveness of the president. “How do you become assertive when there is separation of powers? There is separation of powers between the Executive and the Legislature.

The Legislature is an entity on its own. The Executive does not superintend over the legislature.  So, you can’t be assertive over a place you do not supervise. So, I think to ask the president to be assertive over the legislature is to ask him to be a despot. It is to ask him to become a dictator and this president will not do that.

                                          

“Don’t forget that yes he is the president of the country and he emerged on the platform of the APC, so it is in that spirit that he attended the NEC meeting last Friday at the party secretariat. He also said that when they called the BoT meeting, he will attend. But he cannot go and lord anything over them. He cannot.

“He also emerged on the platform of that party. The party is bigger than everyone. That’s what is meant by party supremacy. So, party supremacy does not even allow him to lord it over anybody. He can only be part of a process to sort out whatever logjam, whatever impasse they have.

“How can it further escalate than what we have now? Can it further escalate than what we have now? I don’t see that. The president is involved already because he has been meeting with various interest groups but he will not do beyond that. He is not going to ram anything into anybody’s throat because that will not be consistent with democratic ethos. He wouldn’t do that.”

From every indication, Nigerians are not happy with the turn of events in the House of Representatives. To the ordinary Nigerian, the mad crave for position is annoying and it is also inconsequential who occupies it. What he or she cares about is a healthy economy and secure environment to live in. The lawmakers can fight for all they want but let it not affect the polity.