Perspective
Blame the leadership of the All
Progressives Congress for the outcome of the National Assembly leadership
election, writes Olatunde Odunyemi
The emergence of the leadership
of the current National Assembly in our country has thrown up many issues which
will generate a heated debate for a long time. The June 9 inauguration of the
eighth National Assembly and the drama attending the election of the Senate
President, Speaker and their deputies have presented intrigues and political
calculations which deserve that not only books be written about the event of
that day and what happened before and after, but also requires scholars of political
science and Nigerian political developments and government to further
interrogate and document what happened for posterity.
While so much has been written
and many explanations given by the actors and their supporters on the
leadership crisis, one has noticed how the issue of the emergence of Senator
Ike Ekweremadu, representing Enugu State and a member of the minority party,
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the Deputy Senate President has equally
assumed a life of its own.
It is being presented that the
Ekweremadu issue is what President Muhammadu Buhari could not live with, in the
entire National Assembly leadership crisis. Those who are sponsoring this
narrative said the president and the leadership of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) would not forgive the senators from the ruling party, who
participated in the June 9 election on the floor of the Senate.
However, it appears that those
who accuse the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and the other
Senators, who participated in that election of selling out to PDP and betraying
the position of the party have refused to answer one particular question. The
question is: Why were majority of the APC Senators not in the Senate Chambers
that morning?
The follow up question is: were
the APC Senators not aware that President Muhammdau Buhari had exercised his
legal powers by communicating to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji
Salisu Maikasuwa, that the Senate should be inaugurated by 10am on June 9,
2015? Also, one can ask why over 50 APC Senators, who were to take their oath
of office that day chose to gather at the International Conference Centre
(ICC), some kilometers away from the National Assembly Complex, instead of
being inside the Senate Chambers?
It is also pertinent to raise the
question of who convened the meeting inside the ICC and made it to coincide
with the time the Senate was to be inaugurated and what was the motive, the
motivation and objective of the convener? If one was to be a researcher or an
academic, these will be the research questions. Providing answers to these
questions will help in realising the research objectives.
The dominant narrative earlier
referred to had stated that the ICC meeting was convened by President Buhari
for all APC Senators and House of Representatives members. However, subjecting
this claim to further scrutiny showed that it stands fact on its head. It is on
record that President Buhari has not disclaimed the fact that he sent a
proclamation order to the Clerk of National Assembly for the inauguration to
commence by 10 am on the appointed day.
That order was at no time
withdrawn. The President flew into the country from Germany about 6am that
morning. How will he fix a meeting for 9am with the awareness of another
constitutionally backed gathering fixed for an hour later with his expected
audience being the main actors in the second meeting?
Also, up till today, nobody has
admitted that there was any formal invitation for the President's meeting. It
was said that the invite was an SMS. The President convened a crucial meeting
by SMS? Who also ordered the National Assembly gate closed early that morning
of June 9, using the name of the President, until the Police IG, Mr. Solomon
Arase sought clarification from Buhari who then denied ever giving such? Again, as at 10.05 am when the election in the
Senate Chambers commenced that day, President Buhari, a man known as a stickler
for promptness had not arrived at the ICC, where he supposedly fixed a meeting
for 9am. That also appeared strange.
One is therefore compelled to
look beyond the dominant narrative to find a more plausible explanation. It is
obvious Buhari did not convene the meeting in ICC otherwise it will be a
contradiction. That is why he did not attend it. Those who convened the meeting
using Buhari's name must be the ones behind the illegal order that the National
Assembly gate be shut in the morning of June 9 to deny entry to even the then
legislators-elect.
The plan was to get all the
Senators and Representatives to the ICC and whether Buhari attended or not,
they were to use his name to cajole, coerce and intimidate the National
Assembly members to go into the chambers and elect Ahmed Lawan, George Akume,
Femi Gbajabiamila and Monguno as Senate President, Deputy Senate President,
Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively, without question.
Those behind the meeting had also
schemed to ensure that if Saraki attended that meeting, they were to tactically
exclude him, using the name of Buhari, to an extent that he would not attend
the plenary when the election would be held. Unfortunately, a member of that
group got too loquacious and let the cat out of the bag, inadvertently though.
What those who wove this plot did
not reckon with was that the Saraki group had taken some precautions. They also
did not fathom the capacity of the PDP Senators with 49 members as against
APC's 59. Again, the untidy arrangements made by the plotters also did them in.
For example, why did they not get the President to change the proclamation he
earlier sent to the Clerk?
Why did they not keep a few of
their men in the chambers to monitor events? Why did they not get the President
to keep to time and finish the ICC meeting by 9.30am so that the members could
get to the NASS Complex on time for the commencement of business in the
chambers by 10am? Why did the ICC meeting not hold in the night with the
president addressing his legislators as he arrived from Germany? Still Many
unanswered questions!
So, if one is to join the blame
game, the people to blame for the emergence of Ekweremadu, the PDP man as
Deputy Senate President, are those who kept the Senators away from the chambers
for a partisan meeting at the time they should be working as legislators. Let
us blame the schemers who have been out-schemed for all these crises. Let us
also blame the discerning lawmakers who did not see beyond the manipulations
they were subjected to.
The APC should be grateful that
PDP senators did not get too ambitious. They could have taken the Senate
Presidency because at the time that Saraki was elected un-opposed, only about
25 or half of the full capacity of APC members were on the floor of the Senate
as against PDP's 49. When the nomination
for the top post was called by the Clerk, if the PDP had nominated one of their
own, he would have won.
The PDP only displayed its own
sophistication at the game by averting the noise that would have heralded such
a big gamble. They then went for the next available office, that of the Deputy
Senate President (DSP). It should be recalled that at the time the clerk called
for nominations for the office of DSP, Saraki and other APC senators did not
just leave the post for the PDP. They presented their own candidate, Ali Ndume,
who got the votes of all the 25 APC senators present at that time.
So, why are we blaming Saraki and
his supporters for the enthronement of the PDP man, Ekweremadu, as DSP?
President Buhari and all Nigerians should look in the direction of those who
convened a subterfuge meeting in ICC to distract the Senators from performing
their first official duty.
Now, everybody should either live
with the reality of an Ekweremadu as DSP or APC senators should plot
Ekweremadu's impeachment. The latter option look far-fetched as there is need
for a two-third majority to impeach the SP or DSP. And PDP has 49 senators as
against APC 's 59. Two-third of the 109-member senate is 73. Shikena!
- Odunyemi wrote in from Festac,
Lagos
No comments:
Post a Comment