Tambuwal dares PDP
November 5, 2014 by John Alechenu
Speaker, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal
| credits: File copy
| credits: File copy
The
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, on Tuesday
dared the Peoples Democratic Party by paying a working visit to the
National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The
PDP had after Tambuwal announced his defection to the All Progressives
Congress last week, asked him to resign as speaker or be impeached.
It
also initiated moves to compel its caucus in the House to reconvene on
Tuesday (yesterday), instead of Deember 3 which the Speaker had
adjourned sitting of the House.
On
Monday, Tambuwal and the APC got a relief from a Federal High Court in
Abuja which directed that the status quo in the House be maintained till
Friday.
Ostensibly buoyed by the
court order, the Speaker arrived at the assembly on Tuesday to declare
open public hearings by two committees of the House.
The Speaker personally drove his official Range Rover SUV into the premises without security personnel.
He
was however was shielded to the venues of the sittings by APC
lawmakers led by the Chairman, House Committee on Education, Aminu
Suleiman.
One of the meetings he
declared open was a hearing by the Committee on Public Accounts on a
“Bill for an Act to Repeal the Audit Act of 1956 and to Re-Enact the
Audit Act of 2010…”
Tambuwal declined
to speak with journalists as he was quickly shielded back to his car
by the APC members after the ceremonies.
The much speculated reconvening of the House by PDP members on Tuesday did not take place.
The doors to the chambers which were shut last week when Tambuwal adjourned sitting till December 3, remained so on Tuesday.
The
Majority Leader of the House, Mulikat Akande-Adeola, has accused
the Speaker, his Deputy, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha, and the Deputy House
Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor, of playing a game on her over Tambuwal’s
defection.
Tambuwal had cashed in on a motion for adjournment moved by Akande-Adeola and adjourned the House.
The
majority leader came under heavy criticism from the PDP, which blamed
her for allowing the speaker to defect under her nose and getting away
with a lengthy adjournment of the House.
But
Akande-Adeola told journalists at the National Assembly complex on
Tuesday that she had no concrete evidence that Tambuwal was defecting
until the announcement came abruptly on October 28.
She
added that it was until he defected that it dawned on her that there
was a game going on, which Tambuwal, Ihedioha and Ogor knew about but
kept her in the dark.
Akande-Adeola
said, “At that point in the chamber, I didn’t feel anyhow but after he
made his statement then I knew that there was something that must have
been planned that I was not aware of.
“Because
if you know me very well, I deal with everyone on equal basis and I
have a very open mind. I don’t think it would have been out of place for
the speaker to even tell me he was moving . I don’t think that would
have been out of place.
“The only
thing would have been may be to ask him a few questions and all that. We
are colleagues in the House. We represent different constituencies.
“What
is good for him may not be good for me. He has his reasons for doing
whatever he has done. But I would have expected that I was told no
matter what. So, that is just it.”
She
recalled that before the motion for adjournment was moved, she asked
Ihedioha and Ogor if the speculated defection plan of Tambuwal was
true but both officials brushed off her question.
Akande-Adeola
revealed that a meeting of the leadership had taken place on October 27
where the issue of the appropriate date for the adjournment was
discussed.
She claimed to have opposed
the lengthy defection to December 3 because it did not tally with that
of the Senate, which is November 4.
The
leader added that she even reported to the meeting that December 3 was
not realistic because the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, had already
briefed her that the Senate would reconvene on November 4.
However,
she said her position was overruled by the majority of the nine members
of the leadership in attendance, including Tambuwal.
She
admitted that the meeting eventually agreed on December 3 after
everyone agreed that the period would be used for oversight duties and
party primaries.
She clarified that
Tambuwal’s defection was not an item on the agenda of the meeting,
neither was mention of it made throughout the session.
The
House Leader added, “After all the reasoning and everything, we agreed
that first, members should go and work on their tickets and that the
House will adjourn for the first two weeks to allow members conclude
all the reports in their various committees. And the following two weeks
will be for oversight functions towards the budget. That was what we
agreed on.”
However, Akande-Adeola did
not meet with Tambuwal. She went straight into her office after
speaking with journalists while the Speaker was still busy at the
sitting of one of the two committees.
When
contacted, Ogor dismissed the allegation that he joined Tambuwal and
Ihedioha to play a game on the leader over the defection.
He described the allegation as “strange” and called for proof.
“If I was aware, it became my responsibility to tell her. I was not aware (of the defection). He who alleges must show proof.”
Ogor also spoke on the views expressed by the APC caucus that only Tambuwal could reconvene the House.
He
argued that the speaker’s consent was not required in this “peculiar”
circumstance to reconvene the House because Tambuwal was the subject
matter.
Ogor said, “The Speaker is an interested party and cannot be a judge in his own case.
“The principles of fair hearing demand that it is very difficult for him to be the one to reconvene the House.”
Ogor explained that the rules of the House recognised the existence of other minority parties outside the APC.
He
claimed that the other parties and the PDP could reconvene the House
without the consent of Tambuwal so long as a quorum of 120 members was
formed.
Fashola declares federal task force illegal
Olasunkanmi Akoni
LAGOS—Following the invasion of some highways by persons in black uniforms, known as Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme and Federal Road Maintenance Agency, SURE-P/FERMA taskforce officials, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, urged residents to resist any attempt by them to manage traffic on 117 federal roads in the state describing their operation as illegal.
The
taskforce officials dislodged officers of the Lagos State Traffic
Management Authority, LASTMA from some major federal roads in the state
on Monday.
Fashola who spoke at the fifth year anniversary of the Uniformed Voluntary Clubs in Lagos State public schools held at the Police College, Ikeja, said that the agency was not established by law and do not have the legal right to manage traffic in the state.
The governor described the officials as ‘illegal’, alleging that their establishment was done by some politicians to create confusion during the 2015 general elections in the state.
LAGOS—Following the invasion of some highways by persons in black uniforms, known as Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme and Federal Road Maintenance Agency, SURE-P/FERMA taskforce officials, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, urged residents to resist any attempt by them to manage traffic on 117 federal roads in the state describing their operation as illegal.
President Jonathan and Gov Babatubde Fashola of Lagos
Fashola who spoke at the fifth year anniversary of the Uniformed Voluntary Clubs in Lagos State public schools held at the Police College, Ikeja, said that the agency was not established by law and do not have the legal right to manage traffic in the state.
The governor described the officials as ‘illegal’, alleging that their establishment was done by some politicians to create confusion during the 2015 general elections in the state.
Fashola declares federal task force illegal
Olasunkanmi Akoni
LAGOS—Following the invasion of some highways by persons in black uniforms, known as Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme and Federal Road Maintenance Agency, SURE-P/FERMA taskforce officials, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, urged residents to resist any attempt by them to manage traffic on 117 federal roads in the state describing their operation as illegal.
The
taskforce officials dislodged officers of the Lagos State Traffic
Management Authority, LASTMA from some major federal roads in the state
on Monday.
Fashola who spoke at the fifth year anniversary of the Uniformed Voluntary Clubs in Lagos State public schools held at the Police College, Ikeja, said that the agency was not established by law and do not have the legal right to manage traffic in the state.
The governor described the officials as ‘illegal’, alleging that their establishment was done by some politicians to create confusion during the 2015 general elections in the state.
LAGOS—Following the invasion of some highways by persons in black uniforms, known as Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme and Federal Road Maintenance Agency, SURE-P/FERMA taskforce officials, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, urged residents to resist any attempt by them to manage traffic on 117 federal roads in the state describing their operation as illegal.
President Jonathan and Gov Babatubde Fashola of Lagos
Fashola who spoke at the fifth year anniversary of the Uniformed Voluntary Clubs in Lagos State public schools held at the Police College, Ikeja, said that the agency was not established by law and do not have the legal right to manage traffic in the state.
The governor described the officials as ‘illegal’, alleging that their establishment was done by some politicians to create confusion during the 2015 general elections in the state.
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