• When national assembly boiled •
RecessContinued
IG’sDefence
Members expressed dismay over this drama but we thank God that we forced our way in and held our sitting. Mr. President wrote us to extend emergency rule, yet we were barred from entering the House. Did they expect us to sit on the streets of Abuja to approve the emergency extension?” he queried.
After taking decision on the state of emergency, the House again adjourned sitting till December 3, the day it had earlier slated for resumption after Tambuwal’s defection on October 28.
After gaining entry into the legislative chamber following the trauma they suffered at the gate, some members of the House, still angered by the development, quickly laid before the chamber a register for the compilation of signatures for Jonathan’s impeachment. There were reports that upon the close of the register that afternoon, no fewer than 113 members had appended their signatures for the president’s removal. There were however reports last night that the figure had climbed to 130.
However, the move would no doubt be a futile exercise as it would be an uphill task to secure the two-thirds majority constitutionally required to commence an impeachment process against the president.
Following an outcry which accompanied the deployment of security agents to the National Assembly on Thursday, police authorities were swift to defend their action. According to Emmanuel Ojukwu, Force Public Relations Officer, the action was dictated by intelligence report that thugs would invade House of Representatives that day.
The action, he said therefore, was only meant to screen House members and visitors until the matter went out of hand when Tambuwal arrived the National Assembly with “a motley crowd and assaulted the police operatives on duty.” He therefore threatened that the Nigeria Police “shall apply the full weight of the law on any political actor who violates the peace and security of the nation.”
On the other hand, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, dismissed insinuations that the IG deployed forces acting on orders from the Presidency.
“Assumption (on whether the police boss was acting on instruction from the President) should stop. The IG is a very senior officer of the government and his duties are to enforce the law.
“He doesn’t need to get the Villa to enforce the law. Though he works under the government, he is expected to defend the law. The IG has the duty to enforce the law. He acted in the discharge of his duty. The IG didn’t invade the assembly. It is
wrong to assume that,” he said.
DoubtfulBid
With the rejection of the president’s request for extension of emergency rule in the three North-east states ofAdamawa, Borno, Yobe by the House, the president’s move to extend emergency rule for the third time in the three states ravaged by insurgency, appeared to have failed. Nevertheless, there are expectations that the House may still review its decision upon resumption on December 3 after the emotion which flared on Thursday might have subsided.
Otherwise, the Senate which had been locked in utter disagreement on the request will also be forced to consign the request to the dust bin since it requires the concurrence of both houses to get the request approved. The Senate had been unable to arrive at a consensus on the state of emergency request after two days of closed door meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday ended in a stalemate. But the senators had announced after Wednesday’s meeting that it would pass a final resolution on the request on Thursday after it would have met with service chiefs but the plan was stalled by the invasion of the NationalAssembly by security forces.
Eventually, state of emergency expired on Thursday without any official proclamation by the NationalAssembly as constitutionally required. In normal circumstances, there should be an official resolution from the NationalAssembly either revoking or renewing an emergency rule before its formal expiration but this has been left hanging as the Senate is yet to decide on the matter.
However, while the president as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces is indeed constitutionally empowered to deploy troops to any part of the country ravaged by crisis without requiring NationalAssembly’s approval, he cannot co-opt the states into co-funding such moves except under an emergency rule.
Therefore, while refusal to approve extension of emergency rule by the NationalAssembly may not stop deployment of troops to affected states by the president, the exercise will henceforth be solely financed by the federal government if finally thrown out. It was learnt that the main bone of contention so far by the affected states has been the money they part with every month for the funding of emergency declaration.
The nation will, however, await NationalAssembly’s official position before it can draw conclusion on it in a matter of days.
Jonathan first declared a state of emergency in the three states on May 14, 2013. He had extended the declaration twice and approved by the NationalAssembly. The current extension, which has been mired in controversies, is the third extension.