Hope rises for compromise on committees’ chairmanship feud

                              


AS the popular saying goes, the darkest hour comes before dawn. Many observers would agree that the battle of wits between the Speaker of the House of Repre­sentatives, Yakubu Dogara and the House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila over the composition of the vari­ous standing committees reached its peak last Tuesday. The situation in the House got so heated, that there was talks of slaps exchanged and worst still, texts of the decision to remove Gbajabiamila as House Leader were circulated among law­makers. But on Wednesday last week, the leadership of the lower legislative chamber told National Assembly correspondents that all differences had been resolved.
Deputy chairman House com­mittee on Media and Publicity Gaza Jonathan Gbefwi, revealed that following a meeting between Dogara and Gbajabiamila last Tuesday, both men agreed to work together in the interest of the coun­try. “The two leaders (Dogara and Gbajabiamila) had a meeting yes­terday (last Tuesday) and I believe that they were able to reach an ami­cable resolution and everything is okay. They are ready to give Nige­rians the direction that they want”, he said.
Recall that some core loyalists of the Speaker had reportedly con­cluded plans to oust Gbajabiamila as Leader of the House, that Tues­day. A text message was circulated to members ahead of Tuesday’s sit­ting to gear up and pass a vote of no confidence on Gbajabiamila.
The text message which was said to have emanated from the Speaker’s supporters read: “Honor­able colleagues, how long can we continue to condone the irrespon­sible efforts of the House Leader to derail the peace and unity of the House? Is he the only member in Nigeria? His absence at the special session today clearly shows his in­tentions and his unsuitability for this position. Enough is enough. It is time for change. Gbaja Must go! Join us in declaring a vote of no confidence in the House Leader! Members United For Change .”
Keen observers believe that aside from majority of lawmakers finally taking sides with Dogara, with some even willing to sacrifice Gbajabiamila, last week, members began to sense that the public was becoming tired of the fight over committees. On the other hand, the failure to remove Gbajabiami­la also reduced the tension as his residue of supporters were poised to make trouble even as they told Daily Sun that move to remove the House Leader was dead on arrival. “There was no way they would have succeeded. That meeting was a charade because only the Major­ity Leader has the power to call for the APC caucus meeting”, a close ally member of Gbajabiamila’s not­ed. “ But we went there just in or­der to stop the charade orchestrated by the man who wants the leader’s job badly” he added.
Wednesday’s decision by the House to adjourn till Tuesday No­vember 17, due to the stench in the chambers provided even more time negotiations and for those angry to calm down and for some others to confront the increasing reality that Dogara, thanks to the backing of other principal officers, now has a firm grip on power, even as the APC seems powerless. But the journey to the fragile peace reached Last Wednesday didn’t come easy.
Dogara inaugurates commit­tees without Gbajabiamila
The palaver started when Dogara last Monday during a special ses­sion inaugurated 96 standing com­mittees of the House even as the Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabi­amila stayed away from the event.
Recall that Daily Sun exclu­sively reported that the committees would be inaugurated last Monday. This is even as this paper also ex­clusively reported that House Ma­jority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila along with some of his supporters would not make an appearance at the solemn but colorful event held in the green chambers. This is the second time Gbajabiamila is snub­bing the speaker, as he stayed away from the closed door meeting held penultimate Tuesday where the date of the inauguration was an­nounced by Dogara. Just as last the closed doormeeting was going on, Gbajabiamilia’s media assis­tant Olanrewaju Smart circulated a letter from the Majority Leader in which he accused Dogara of side­lining him in the process of select­ing chairpersons and Deputies of committees.
Gbajabiamila’s letter was re­leased weeks after members of the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) raised objections to the near equal distribution of committees between their party and the main opposi­tion, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). APC has 48 chairpersons, while the PDP has 45. The pro­tests of the APC lawmakers that juicy committees had been handed the PDP in return for their support which led to the emergence of Dog­ara as Speaker, culminated in one chairman and two deputy chair­men resigning from their commit­tees. Daily Sun findings indicate that the House Leader also failed to show up at the APC national sec­retariat last Monday despite specu­lations that he would address the press there.
But another APC lawmaker, Musa Sarkin Adar spoke with the press at the APC headquar­ters even with the absence of the APC national chairman Chief John Oyegun , leveling weighty allega­tions against the Speaker. Adar who said the allocation of com­mittees brought to the fore, the Speaker’s negative disposition to the ruling party, described Dogara as a fifth columnist who is bent on undermining the APC.
He said: “The composition of head ships of committees must be seen for what it is: a declaration of war against the APC and the Presi­dency – all calculated at sabotaging the majority advantage that APC enjoys, with ultimate aim of roll­ing back the electoral victory of our party.
“The composition of Chairmen and Deputy Chairmen of Com­mittees are clear manifestations of the marginalization of the ruling All Progressives Congress. Under the 7th assembly headed by Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, the then major­ity party – PDP got 63 out of 89 committees of the House which constituted 71 percent share of the committee while the Minority par­ties (ACN, ANPP, CPC and others) got only 26 out of the 89 commit­tees which underscores the fact that the Minority got only 29 percent share of the committees. Unfor­tunately, under Speaker Yakubu Dogara the Majority party – APC got 50 percent share of committees, same with the PDP and other Mi­nority parties which equally got 50 percent. No legislature in the world had ever shared committees on 50:50 basis between the Majority and Minority parties. There must be a clear cut margin between Ma­jority and Minority parties as was done in previous assemblies.
“It is curious that strategic com­mittees such as Petroleum, Power, Environment, Works, Gas, For­eign Affairs, Banking, Information Technology, Aviation, National Planning, Nigerian Ports and Wa­terways which are crucial to the success of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Change Agenda were given to PDP by Speaker Yakubu Dogara. What is the motive behind such undemocratic move? Is it to derail the Change Agenda of Presi­dent Buhari to ease their ungodly marriage with PDP ahead of 2019”.
However, it is safe to say that Gbajabiamila’s absence at the in­auguration didn’t create a lacuna because his deputy Buba Jubril played his role at the event by wel­coming special guests and mem­bers of the House. Jubril called for understanding from aggrieved lawmakers, even as he noted that it was impossible to satisfy all in a tough situation such as selecting those to chair committees and their deputies.
Saraki, Nwuche call for work to commence
More calls for peace came on the day with former Deputy Speaker of the House, Chibudom Nwuche who delivered the keynote address entitled, “The role of committees in a presidential system of govern­ment” urging members to see all committees as equal. Nwuche who said that Nigerians are eager to see the House get to work stressed that all committees are important, hence the need for lawmakers to focus on how these committees can make direct impact. “ It is the duty of committees of the National Assem­bly to initiate moves and encour­age genuine investigative public hearings, receive petitions from the public on critical issues that pertain to economic sabotage, corruption and even those issues that tend to trample on the rights and privileges of the common man in the society”, he averred. Senate President, Bu­kola Saraki who attendance at the event gave it an epochal tilt also spoke at the inauguration. He stressed that the House of Repre­sentatives and the Senate took the initiative to work on a legislative agenda, noting that it was a pointer to the 8th Assembly’s unity of pur­pose and willingness to cooperate with regard to both Houses’ drive to do things differently.
“ I am happy to be part of the inauguration of these House Com­mittees and it surely is a pointer to what is possible with the 8th Na­tional Assembly because of the cal­iber of men and women it is blessed with. This inauguration once again encapsulates the entrenching no­tion we the Senate share in equal measure with this present House of Representatives, that though we are two different chambers, we share a bound mandate, with singularity of purpose and vision to ensure that the laws we pass here impact lives positively” he said.