Reps divided across party lines over Dogara’s removal

The fate of Speaker Yakubu Dogara and the principal officers will be determined today, 20th September, 2016 on the floor of the House of Representatives as members resume for the second year in the 8th session of the National Assembly.
Various groups across geopolitical zones had on Monday held nocturnal meetings on how best to manage the crisis. At the end of the strategic meeting held by members of the Transparency Group which claimed to have gathered over 200 signatures before embarking on the annual recess, the lawmakers resolved that “Dogara and all other principal officers must step aside for two weeks
to face investigation but can return to their seats if they’re not found guilty.”
The Group led by Musa Mohammed Soba, also resolved to invite Jibrin with the view to acquaint the group with his motives as well as kick against the suspension being muted by Speaker Dogara’s loyalists to suspend Jibrin and any other member.

According to the statement obtained by BusinessDay, the Transparent Group also vowed “that they won’t accept the Ethics and Privileges committee as the investigator of the matter” and that kicked against “any vote of confidence on Dogara or any other principal officer.”
BusinessDay further gathered that members of the House of Representatives on Monday night converged at various hotels across Abuja where they held strategic meetings with Speaker Yakubu Dogara and the ousted chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, Abdulmumin Jibrin.
It was also gathered that some group of protesters have been mobilized to stage protests against the Speaker and other principal officers over alleged budget padding.
Sources close to the lawmakers also confirmed that Speaker Dogara held meeting with all his supporters at Ajuji Hotel located at Gudu district, Abuja while Jibrin also met with members pushing for Dogara’s removal in an undisclosed hotel in town.
The meeting held at the instance of the Speaker was scheduled for9.30pm while other nocturnal meeting was held with members of various geopolitical zones with the view to douse the tension during today’s plenary.
While reacting to the allegations, Namdas however noted that the lawmakers will disappoint those who wanted the lawmakers to get into tumult.
Some of the lawmakers who spoke on the crisis including Peter Akpatason (APC-Edo) disclosed that the House may be forced into Executive session where all the controversies between the Speaker and Jibrin will be addressed dispassionately, adding that each party will have an opportunity to present to the House the true picture of the allegations and all available evidences.
“The issues that actually led to the tension in the house will be in the mind of everybody. I can’t say for sure whether that issue willbe discussed tomorrow. I expect that as we resume, we shall quickly go into where we shall critically look at the issues.
“If we are fortunate to go into executive session tomorrow, one of the things I expect is that people will insist on getting a brief from the Speaker and from the other principal officers that were alleged tohave padded the budget. Also if Jibrin is courageous enough to come into the House tomorrow, he may also have to answer a lot of questions with reference to the allegations he made against those people. I think that will provide us the opportunity to be up to date on the
issues because what we keep hearing is allegations and counter allegations. I can tell you as a member of the house that some of those things are wrong doings but not all of them.
“I think it is important that both of them on both sides give us a clear picture of what went wrong and why they are throwing banters at each other’s to the press,” said Akpatason.
Akpatason also expressed optimism that the principal officers would be eager to get the issues resolved as quickly as possible and would not hide under guise that the matter is being investigated by security agencies.
”I am told that the law enforcement organizations are already looking at the issue, I don’t know which aspect of the issue they are investigating but I don’t think that it will be proper for us to go
ahead with anything serious without first of all getting to know the details of the issue.”
On his part Henry Archibong (PDP-Akwa-Ibom) who accused Jibrin of breaching sections 2, 3, 24 ande 30 of the Legislative Houses Powers and Privileges Act will be subjected to due process.
Also speaking, Ayodeji Adebayo (APC-Lagos)said that the House will be expected to resolve all pending issues and apportion blames on the any of the parties found wanting as far as the budget padding saga is concerned. He equally said that the House will also take a strong look
at the economy and engage the executives on the right policies that will get the country quickly out of recession.
“The first thing is our internal issues which I want to believe will be resolved, anybody that has to be blamed will be blamed, any correction that has to be done will be done. We need to tell ourselves
the truth no matter whose ox is gored.
“Secondly the country has been declared to be in recession. Just like in the Senate we need to call on all the major stake holders to come and explain the plans that they have to take the country out of recession, because it is very important, there are so much hardship in the country, poverty level has increased, so what are the plans government has to take us out of this recession.”
Ayodeji maintained the Principal officers may not prevent the House from discussing all the sides involved in the budget saga despite the fact that it is under investigation by security agencies.
“The House is one and we also want to protect our institution, whatever is going to be in the interest of the country is what we are going to do. I want to believe that the principal officers also have
the interest of the country in mind so, so I think we are going to discuss it critically and whoever goes wrong will have to face the book. I don’t see the principal officers stopping us from discussing
it on the floor of the House, it has to be discussed, and there is no way it won’t be discussed,” Adebayo noted.