The House of Representatives may be heading for another
crisis when it resumes from its recess on September 29.
This is because the Ad Hoc Committee on Standing Orders raised by the Speaker , Yakubu Dogara, is set to reduce the powers of the Deputy
Speaker, Yussuff Lasun.
The machinery for achieving this purpose is near perfection,
The Nation learnt, as the committee has set the ball rolling in its report,
which was laid before the House before it went on recess.
In one of its recommendations, the committee proposed that
the Speaker should preside over the Committee of Whole, which is responsible
for consideration of reports on bills and investigative hearing as provided by
the Standing Orders of the Seventh Assembly.
According to the committee, Order 25 which provides that
“the Deputy Speaker shall be the Chairman of Committee of the Whole House, save
when the House goes into the Committee of Supply or Ways and Means,” should be
amended.
Order 25 (i) which deals with the duties of the Deputy
Speaker, states: “In the absence of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker shall
perform all the duties and functions of the Speaker.”
25 (II) further states: “The Deputy Speaker then shall be
the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole House, save when the House goes into
the Committee of Supply or Ways and Means.”
The move to whittle down the powers of the Deputy Speaker is
being seen by some as part of a larger
plan to reduce the influence of the Deputy Speaker in the Eighth House.
According to a source, the underlying reason might not be
unconnected with the belief that Lasun’s benefit in the Eighth House far
outstrips his contributions to the Dogara project.
However, sources said
some elements in the erstwhile Dogara camp might be the ones pushing for the
move to push Lasun into irrelevance.
Lasun appeared to hit the limelight with his emergence as
the Deputy Speaker with a perception that he was little known in the Seventh
House due to his being inactive.
However, against all odds and the negative perception,
Lasun’s handling of legislative matters on the floor of the Green chamber has
left no one in doubt about his grasp of his legislative duties. In the just
over 50 days of sittings, Lasun presided over a Committee of the Whole House as
well as presiding over plenary in the absence of the Speaker to the admiration
of his colleagues and observers.
Dogara must have realised the qualities of his deputy as he
delegated several assignments for Lasun to handle.
It was learnt the report presented to the House before its
six-week recess promises to be contentious and will not be taken lightly by
Lasun and his supporters .
Credit: Nation
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