APC's ‘Majority’ Status feared by the House

Gbajabiamila: We're the leading party  •Mark urges senators not to promote crisis

Omololu Ogunmade and Muhammad Bello 
The House of Representatives Tuesday began its new year session on a tumultuous note as lawmakers disagreed over the status of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

But unlike the House, the resumption of legislative duties at the Senate was crisis-free with the Senate President David Mark, in his welcome speech, advising his colleagues to uphold the sanctity of their oaths of office and cease to become agents of factional and intra-party crisis.

House Minority Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, set the tone for the rowdy session, while during his contribution to a motion on the melee in Port Harcourt penultimate Sunday, referred to the Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. Leo Ogor, as the “deputy minority leader”.

His disparaging of Ogor’s status, which came against the backdrop of the newfound numerical strength of APC as the party with more legislators in the House following the defection of 37 House members, formerly belonging to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to APC, drew the ire of the ruling party’s lawmakers.

Quickly, they formed a crowd and surged towards Gbajabiamila with the intent of attacking him. But the APC lawmakers formed a ring round their leader to protect him from any harm.

The rowdiness held up the plenary session in the chamber for about 20 minutes before the Speaker, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, could restore order after consultation with his deputy, Hon. Emeka Ihediora.

Earlier, Ogor had raised a point of order on the motion moved by Sani Madaki (APC, Kano) that the House should write to President Goodluck Jonathan to remove the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Abubakar, and the Rivers State Police Commissioner, Mbu Joseph Mbu.

He hinged the call for their removal on their alleged roles in failing to check the disruption of a rally by the Save Rivers Movement (SRM) by the police, which while dispersing the protesters, were said to have shot Senator Magnus Abe with rubbers bullets.

According to Ogor, who cited Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution, which gives citizens a chance to a fair hearing, if the House resolved to pass Madaki's motion without hearing out the other side in the Rivers crisis, it would be setting a bad precedent.

Instead, he suggested that all parties to the Rivers crisis should be given a fair hearing before a decision is taken on the fate of the IG and Mbu.

Ogor had barely taken his seat when Gbajabiamila stood up and observed that despite the provision of Section 36 of the constitution, it is the responsibility of the government to ensure the security and welfare of the citizenry.

Ostensibly, conforming with a decision the APC lawmakers had taken at a secret meeting that lasted for two-and-a-half hours before the commencement of plenary, Gbajabiamila in referring to the last contributor, called Ogor the “deputy minority leader”.

Reacting, PDP lawmakers protested and this led to a rowdy session as the lawmakers jostled to gain the attention of Tambuwal to be recognised to speak.

After a while, Tambuwal called for order and in a speech after calm was restored, said Gbajabiamila had delivered “a very expensive joke”.

According to him, the House has standing procedures, which must be observed, just as he recalled that the crisis had a parallel, which was fostered on the country following the historical proclamation made by the late Moshood Abiola when he declared himself president in 1992.

Also referring to the order of Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, restraining him from changing the House leadership, the speaker said he was “taken aback” by Gbajabiamila's   denigration of Ogor's status. He, however, gave him a chance to explain himself to the plenary.

In his defence, Gbajabiamila said his disparaging statement was a statement of fact.
Taking time off his explanation, he then walked to Ogor and shook his hand as a sign of reconciliation, but not without adding jocularly: “I now refer to Hon. Leo Ogor as Hon. Leo Ogor.”

Tambuwal subsequently cautioned his colleagues that the court order should not be ignored, no matter what sentiments they harboured against it.

He said what was happening in the country was an important political development and called for restraint.

“Let us not use the mandate given to us by our people to undermine democracy. We should give the president reasons why the IG and Mbu should be removed,” Tambuwal said.
The speaker also accommodated Ogor’s observation that parties accused of injustice in the Rivers saga should be heard before they are crucified.

He directed the House Committees on Rules and Business as well as Judiciary to look into the matter and advise the chamber on what to do in a week’s time.

Irrespective of the caution by Tambuwal, APC lawmakers insisted on the new status of their party as the majority in the House, saying they had 20 members more than PDP's.
Gbajabiamila, at a press briefing, likened the court order against a change of leadership in the House to the postponement of the doomsday.

He said: “The slim majority that the APC has, which the PDP claims is not constitutionally enough, is enough, since as at the last check, APC had a difference of about 20 members more than PDP.

“Today, the bleeding of PDP has continued and will continue this week, next week, next month and in the future. With time everybody will take his rightful position.

“We want Nigerians to know that what happened today has ridiculed the government of Nigeria, because it is only in this parliament in the whole world where a minority party retains the position of a majority and the majority party remains the minority party.”

Gbajabiamila added that for now, their concern was to focus on legislative work such as the consideration of the 2014 budget estimates, Rivers impunity, the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and the $10.8 billion unremitted oil funds, among others.

Also speaking on what happened in the court on Monday, Hon. Ali Ahmed (APC, Kwara) said the court lacked the jurisdiction to hear the matter in the first place.

He said there was no amount of urgency that could make a court to delve into an internal matter of another arm of government, adding that their lawyers were not allowed to argue their preliminary objection in the court.

According to him, the lawmakers will abide by the ruling until February 3, out of respect for the court and stand on a non-violent course.

Another APC lawmaker, Madaki, said they were aware of what the outcome of the court case would be even before the order restraining them was given.

“We knew that the judge would be biased. Our lawyers told us of how he refused to give them a chance to present their case.

“But this does not mean we have soft-pedalled on our quest for a change of leadership in the House. The constitution gives us the power to effect a change in the House leadership because we are the ones with a majority,” he told the BBC Hausa Service.

Despite the stance of the APC lawmakers on their majority status in the lower chamber, the party yesterday lost two members to the PDP who crossed carpet and in turn the ruling party lost two of its members to APC.

Confirming this, the speaker announced the defection of Emmanuel Jime (Benue) and Suleiman Yahaya Kwande (Plateau) from PDP to APC and Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) to APC respectively, while from Adamawa State, Haske Franca Hannaniya and Ganama Kwaga dumped the APC for PDP.

In the Senate, Mark seized the opportunity of his welcome speech to advise his colleagues on their conduct in view of the raging crisis over defections in the polity.

He also lashed out at the political class, accusing it of practising “dangerous and irresponsible” politics and simultaneously promoting “primordial politics at the expense of governance”.

He tasked senators not to be part of the shenanigans in the political arena but to portray themselves as agents of change that would improve the welfare of Nigerians.

Mark, who obviously was speaking against the backdrop of plans by some PDP senators to defect to APC, said Nigeria had in recent times been overwhelmed by pervasive political tensions and festering political disputes owing to the activities of politicians whom he accused of pursuing blind and naked ambitions and consequently heating up the polity.
He therefore charged the senators to insulate themselves from such attitudes.

He said: “Our nation is watching to see whether distinguished senators will uphold the dignity of this institution and their oath of office or whether we will allow ourselves to become mere tools in factional political disputes and intra-party rows.

“In fragile and young democracies such as ours, the course of democracy is vastly served when statesmen and women refuse to sell the truth to serve the hour.

“Living true to our conscience as elder statesmen and women as well as distinguished senators is the challenge of this very hour. And it is a challenge that will define the social and political fabric of Nigeria. 

“The leadership, which we as senators have always collectively offered, compels us now to brace for these obvious political challenges, and to insist, as we have always done, on the primacy of the interest of the nation, and the welfare of our people.

“Our collective resolve and our example as senators of the Federal Republic should serve as a powerful reminder to the political class that democracy’s fundamental raison d’être is to free the average citizen from the bonds of poverty, deprivation, disease and want.

“Our compatriots desire a society where every citizen, irrespective of tribe or class, is availed a socio-economic and political space that dispenses access to resources, privileges, and opportunities in a fair and just measure.

“The political class will certainly be judged by how far this ideal is attained, not by how much we ingratiate ourselves, advance our political careers or flaunt the panoply of high office.” 

Mark also listed the agenda before the Senate this year to include the 2014 Appropriation Bill, PIB, Customs (Amendment) Bill, Pensions Reforms (Amendment) Bill, a review of the Electoral Act as well as harmonisation of the Senate and House positions on the amendment to the 1999 Constitution.

Mark also said he had directed the relevant committees to investigate the crisis involving senators in Rivers, Borno and Ogun States and report their findings to the Senate.
source: thisday