As the 8th House of Representatives winds down it is necessary to review its activities ahead of the inauguration of the 9th House on June 10 and 11. JOSHUA EGBODO writes.
Inception
It was a turbulent inauguration on June 9, 2015, when the outgoing House was ceremonially formed. Prior to that date, the All Progressives Congress (APC), which had just wrest power from the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had endorsed the erstwhile minority leader of the house, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila for speakership.
Incumbent speaker, Yakubu Dogara was the most formidable opponent that stood up against Gbajabiamila, but the APC wouldn’t hear of any objection to its decision.
Buhari’s disposition
What appeared to suggest that the President, Muhammadu Buhari, freshly elected on the platform of the APC was not on the same page with his party, over who emerges as the Speaker was the statement credited to him, that “I can work anybody”. The APC, it was believed was badly disappointed by the non-assertiveness of the President, as widely expected, and as usually the practice hitherto.
The drama, how APC lost the game
The drama was to continue with the APC insisting on producing Gbajabiamila as speaker of the 8th house. For the first time in the drive to produce a speaker, a mock election was held for members-elect on the platform of the APC, then under the chairmanship of Mr John Oyegun, to choose who they intended to lead them. After the mock election, which held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, Gbajabiamila was declared winner by the party.
That was not to change anything however, as in protest, the Dogara camp, led fiercely then by Kano lawmaker, Hon Abdulmumin Jibrin called the bluff of the mock polls and vowed to press on with its bid. Not even the repeated threats of sanctions against all members of the party, who failed to fall in line with the choice of Gbajabiamila, by the APC could deter them.
On the day of inauguration, another plot was hatched, reportedly by the party hierarchy to the effect that President Buhari, who was just back to the country in the early hours of the day, after attending an event on the invitation of the Chatham House, a UK-based think tank group, would be meeting with all APC members-elect of the 8th National Assembly.
While the said meeting was ongoing, even without the president in attendance, the inauguration which was earlier communicated to begin at 10am by Buhari in his proclamation, started at the National Assembly. With the senate’s inauguration completed, and Bukola Saraki announced as the elected senate president, and opposition member, Ike Ekweremadu, his deputy, members were hurriedly dispersed from the meeting to forestall a replication in the House of Representatives. Saraki emerged clearly against the endorsed candidate of the APC; George Akume.
The move was seemingly too late. Even with the “loyal” APC members-elect, who went to the meeting, later trooping into the House’s sitting chamber to cast their ballots, Dogara dramatically polled 182 votes against Gbajabiamila’s 174 to emerge speaker.
Take-off challenges
With the house in place, the other principal offices could not be filled, especially those affiliated to the political party with majority of members; the APC. Gbajabiamila, who lost in the speakership election, and his party, wanted certain positions conceded to those they felt had been party loyalists in the quest, and so must be rewarded. For good while, this kept the house from fully taking off.
Committee heads as new clog
When Dogara finally heeded the words of reason and conceded the position of the majority leader to Gbajabiamila, and other offices to the named APC candidates, the selection of chairpersons of committees became another albatross that hindered the house. Gbajabiamila openly accused Dogara of not consulting him before selecting and announcing heads of the about 89 special and standing committees of the House.
Some members, reportedly acting on the instruction of Gbajabiamila turned down their appointments. This was about to spark a huge crisis within the house, and also pitched even some of the “most” loyal members of the APC against Gbajabiamila. A motion was brought on the floor by Hon Alhassan Doguwa to the effect that the house moves on without Gbajabiamila. Majority of the members of the APC caucus had reportedly vowed to endorse a motion for a no- confidence- vote on Gbajabiamila.
Whether true or false, Gbajabiamila allegedly took an early morning flight the following day from Lagos to Abuja to meet with Dogara and other leaders of the house, and begged for forgiveness, when it was clear that his fate would be decided on the floor, obviously by passing a resolution to remove him as majority leader.
Settling down to business
With the disagreements over, the house settled down to business, by first debating and adopting a legislative agenda for itself. The 7th assembly, under the then speaker, and now Governor of Sokoto state, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal had initiated the idea of an agenda to guide the legislative business of the house, which was consolidated and sustained under Dogara. One key element in the adopted agenda was to repeal, amend and re-enact where necessary, laws considered to be obsolete and not in tune with current realities.
A record 130 bills passed in a day
One record that the outgoing house would for long be remembered for is the passage of 130 bills for first reading in just one sitting. Speaker Dogara at the inception of the house announced the constitution of a multi-sectoral stakeholders committee to review the nation’s old laws, and recommend as necessary; those requiring amendment, repeal, and reenactment.
Following the report of the committee headed by director general of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof Ladi Hamalai, several of the nation’s existing laws were recommended for amendment, prompting members of the house to sponsor such amendments in multiples.
To many analysts, the massive passage may either have suggested the house’s intent and a new disposition to carrying out the duties members were elected for or a show off of some sort to make it look serious.
Sour relationship with the executive
Though it was not unusual, the ever existing rift between the legislature and executive arm of government, such riffs however came to the climax during the tenure of the outgoing house. This has repeatedly been attributed to the manner in which the leaders emerged in the first place. It is believed that some forces within the presidency were hell bent on not forgiving the alleged sins of the leaders, for defying them.
President Buhari recently confirmed that during a fast breaking evening with some national leaders, and was quoted to have said he did not have the best of relationship with the outgoing parliament. However, speaker Dogara, while recently receiving the Euro Knowledge Award in recognition of his exemplary leadership, which was conferred on him last month at the United Kingdom’s Parliament and another one by federal government for his contribution to passage of Ease- Of –Doing- Business bills in Nigeria, said the house under his leadership gave Buhari the best support.
He recalled that there were times the house passed executive bills within two days or one week, adding that the 8th House of Representatives is the most performing in Nigeria’s political history from independence in 1960 to date.
Jeers, cheers for president during budget presentation
President Muhamadu Buhari, during the 2019 budget presentation before a joint session of the National Assembly, received a combination of jeering and cheering in the House of Representatives’ chamber. Opposition members had just before the president stepped in, started chanting “Freedom Cometh By Struggle”, prompting pro-APC lawmakers to counter same with “Sai Baba”. The session, eventually turned rowdy, and the president said “we have to grow above this”, for the regular interjection of his speech to calm.
Key legislations passed
The outgoing house has been commended for the passage of some specific bills. One of such is the Petroleum Industry Governance bill. Also on record were some economic development friendly bills, aimed at making businesses to be easily done. The resilience of the parliament on the Electoral Act amendment, which the president turned down for a record three times, was also hailed, and the most recent, speedy passage of the new national minimum wage bill.
Blowing the trumpet of self-praise for the outgoing house, especially in relation to the record number of bills passed, Dogara said “Before we embarked on this massive exercise, some of our law books were still containing Pounds Sterling, in some laws, some addresses in the United Kingdom were even mentioned. To the credit of the 8th assembly, all those things are no longer reflected in the body of our Laws”.
To many followers of the house, a task has been set before the coming assembly, which is naturally expected to do much more.
