Peace remains elusive in both chambers. The meeting called yesterday evening by President Muhammadu Buhari to resolve the divisive issues among the lawmakers of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) did little to put the issues in dispute behind the party.
So, the bitter struggle for positions of principal officers of the National Assembly will likely take a new, dangerous, and tumultuous dimension this morning. Like a broken family whose members will like to destroy their father’s inheritance rather than share it, I have this nagging dampening feeling in my spirit that today’s proceedings in both houses will be the ultimate showdown in lawlessness.
In the House of Representatives, no truce is in sight despite the reported reconciliation of Speaker Yakubu Dogari’s camp with the Femi Gbajabiamila group over the sharing of principal offices. What happened last Friday was a contrived “marriage of convenience” that has already broken down even before the spouses could embrace each other. It was a “marriage” that was consummated based on selfish personal interests. It was simply a power-grabbing deal that will crash even before the members converge on the Green Chamber this morning.
It is not too hard to understand why APC will continue to gallop from one crisis to another and why the crisis in the National Assembly will continue to deepen almost two months after the 8th parliament was inaugurated. It is the failure of the leadership of both houses to look beyond personal ambition. None is ready to give up personal gains for collective interest. Therefore, nobody should be under any illusion that the proceedings in both chambers will be peaceful today. This is because every option that could help APC emerge from the present crisis and put its house in order is like using different debit cards when a bank has run out of notes.
Every layer of the crisis you try to remove leads inexorably to yet a more delicate one that brings the crisis back to where it all began. Take, for instance, the issues in dispute in the House of Representatives: whatever attempt made so far to resolve the positions of principal offices, is met with a suit fixed for hearing today before a Federal High Court in Abuja. The suit seeks an injunction to stop Speaker Dogara from naming principal officers other than those recommended by the ruling APC. This is one of the knotty issues that will set the stage for drama today.
Interestingly, the opposition PDP is relishing this drama in both Houses. If the situation in the House of Reps looks amenable, that in the Senate presents something of a drop-dead-dealine for a make or break situation for the APC. There’s a ‘joker’ in the Senate already. This is the emerging report that the Police investigation into the allegations that the Senate Standing Rules were forged, has been confirmed.
The Standing Rules/Orders, we may recall, has been at the heart of the drama in the aftermath of the election of Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu as President and Deputy Senate President on June 9. The Senate Rules guide all aspects and procedures of the senate, including the promulgation of the National Assembly as well as election of its principal officers.
From what we hear, the police investigation is said to have indicted the management of NASS, in particular, the clerk, Salisu Maikasuwa. The clerk is the custodian of the Senate Standing Rules. If the probe indicts him, as being speculated, that speaks volumes of the legality or otherwise in the election of Senator Ekweremadu, in particular. Things can go from bad to worse for him as the police report is also said to have recommended the prosecution of all those found culpable of the alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Orders.Remember that forgery is a criminal offence. The law prescribes a minimum of four years imprisonment upon conviction. This will be good news for the anti-Saraki camp. They will likely call Saraki and Ekweremadu to step down immediately. But they cannot without putting up a fierce fight. And that will mean a big storm in the Senate today.
Among those said to have been interrogated by the police investigation included immediate past senate President, David Mark, Senator Ekweremadu, former Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egbe, and former Senate Committee Chairman on Rules and Business, Ita-Enang. The anti-Saraki senators had alleged in their petition that Ekweremadu was a recipient of the alleged forgery.
The controversial 2015 Senate Orders include Rule 3, as contained on Page 4 of the document. It deals with election of presiding officers. Those who have seen the police report say the rules on which the election of June 9, 2015 was conducted was different from the 2011 senate Order. Also, Rule 3 (e) (i) and (ii) are said to have been altered in the 2015 document to accommodate electronic voting and secret ballot. But ballot papers were reportedly not mentioned in the 2011 Standing Rules. The Standing Order in question says, “voting shall be conducted by the clerk at-the-table using division list of the Senate with Tellers in attendance”. The insertion in the amended version reportedly reads: “the appointment of senators as chairmen and members of committee shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the six geo-political zones of the country, and there shall be no predominance of senators from a few geo-political zones”.
When you look at these allegations closely, one thing is certain: expect a showdown from rival factions today. My advice: Focus your attention on the Senate, but don’t forget to tune in intermittently at proceedings in the lower House. it will likely end in a situation that will leave APC with few choices. And PDP is looking forward to today to see how it can cash in on the crises in both houses to spring a surprise of its own.
Altogether, events in the National Assembly could prove a “matchpoint” for the Buhari presidency. It could define the direction of his presidency, whether his agenda for “Change” is stuck, or if he has finally broken through the labyrinth of forces that want to portray him as a ‘deceiver’ of change. Whichever way it goes today, I perceive trouble. But out of this messy and bitter struggle, change might come! The question is: are we getting the benefit of the huge cost on the members of the National Assembly?
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