Members of the National Assembly on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) may have abandoned the much touted plot to impeach the presiding officers of the two chambers, Senate President Bukola and Speaker Yakubu Dogara the feelers from the NASS as they resumed yesterday suggests.
The leadership of the APC were said to have rallied its lawmakers to begin impeachment moves against Saraki and Dogara on the ground that they can’t be presiding over the federal legislature under the cloak a minority party following their defection to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
The first clue that all was not well with APC’s impeachment plot yesterday was the camaraderie spirit with which the lawmakers exchanged banters among members across party lines before going into a closed door session.
Senate Leader, Senator Ahmed Lawan, was also spotted with the Senate president in the chamber welcoming members from recess. An APC Senator who did not want his name in print told LEADERSHIP that following what transpired at the APC primaries held across the country, the lawmakers are not keen about the issue of impeachment at the moment.
“Politics is about interest, and one’s interest first. How can we go ahead to protect the interest of a political party that failed woefully to protect the interests of its dedicated loyal members? Where is the much talked about payback time? “There are 12 of us who could not secure a return tickets despite the assurance of automatic ticket the party’s national chairman gave us. Governors were just on their own; nobody to call them to order. “Why do we need to come here and increase our angst by trying to impeach Saraki? Was he the one that denied me APC senatorial ticket? Politics is about interest as I’ve earlier said”, the senator said.
Another disenchanted APC Senator who spoke with our correspondent in confidence said, “Yes, 12 of us lost at the APC senatorial primaries. In Ogun State, Governor Amosun snatched Senator Tejuosho’s own. Governor Ajimobi is displacing Senator Akanbi. Senator Omo-Agege lost out.
The chief whip, Senator Adeyeye, is not coming back. Senator Gbenga Ashafa was substituted to make way for Senator Tinubu to become the highest-ranking Senator from the South West so that she can become Senate leader.
The fate of Senator David Umoru and Senator Sabi Abdullahi is neither here nor there. “They are already defeated and if you now seize tickets from those already declared winner and give it to them, the court will remove them. That is what will happen to Senator Shehu Sani with time. “You don’t expect us to come here and start saying Saraki should step aside; for what? What time do we even have to go into that since by November campaigns would have started?”
At the closed door meeting yesterday, the Senators resolved to put to rest contentious issues that had distracted them from addressing key national issues in the recent past. The lawmakers were said to have expressed worry over recent political conflict in the upper chamber.
The meeting, which lasted for about 20 minutes, was said to have attracted expressions of serious worries by most lawmakers.
Although no official statement was issued at the end of the closed-door session, Another Senator who spoke on condition of anonymity told LEADERSHIP that threats and counter threats by APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers were dropped.
“The Senate today (Tuesday) reconvened after about two months recess and immediately went into a closed door session where all members had frank discussions about the future of the 8th Senate as it goes into its last stage. “The members agreed to give peace a chance and avoid allowing the Red Chamber of the federal legislature to degenerate into an arena of conflict over partisan and personal issues”, he said.
It was further learnt that the APC caucus also extracted a promise from the Senate president that national interest will continue to take precedence over any other consideration in the activities of the Senate. The Senators were said to have agreed not to allow external forces and influence to cause disaffection, disturbance or crisis within the legislature.
Also in the House of Representatives, it was obvious that the plot by APC lawmakers to effect a change in leadership may have failed.
Yesterday’s plenary, which lasted for 30 minutes, saw the Speaker approving the votes and proceedings of July 24, 2018 and also announcing the death of the wife of Hon Henry Ofongo from Bayelsa and the father of the chief whip, Hon Al-hassan Ado Doguwa.
Meanwhile, a group of lawmakers in the House under the auspices of Parliamentary Democrats Group (PDG) yesterday asked the ruling APC to channel its energy on other meaningful endeavours, as any plan to impeach Speaker Dogara would be futile.
Spokesperson of the PDG, Hon Timothy Golu, said that PDG will not relent in defending the authority, right and mandate of the Speaker against any threat from any quarters. He advised the APC to prepare to loose more of its members, as many of its lawmakers would be defecting to the PDP, thus placing the opposition in a comfortable majority in the House of Representatives.
Golu said, “Our attention has been drawn to statements credited to the All Progressives Congress, APC, that the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, should vacate his seat as he is occupying a usurped position. “We want to again state categorically clear that any attempt to instigate crisis or undermine the authority, right or position of the Speaker would meet a brick wall.
“The position of the Speaker does not belong to any political party as he was elected by members from all the political parties as provided for in the 1999 constitution”.
The lawmaker cautioned security agencies not to allow themselves to be used as tools by the “failing APC” as Nigerians and the international community are watching and monitoring developments in the polity with kin interest.
“We call on our colleagues to be vigilant and prepare for any eventuality that those planning to destabilise the parliament may come up with”, Golu added
Via Leadership
