House Committees: Dogara Fighting Buhari, APC, Say Gbajabiamila’s Loyalists

Boycott inauguration of standing committees

Some aggrieved members of the House of Representatives on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday accused the Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, of declaring an outright war against the party and the presidency by ceding vital committee positions to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The group which calls itself as the “Loyalists Group” of APC federal lawmakers said only a reversal of the current composition of the House committees would assuage the feelings of members and serve the interest of Nigerians who are waiting for the APC change mentra.

Addressing journalists shortly after a meeting with the leadership of the party at the national secretariat in Abuja, the spokesman of the group, Hon. Musa Serikin Adar (APC Sokoto), said the decision of the Speaker to share the committees’ headship on a 50 -50 basic between the majority party APC and the minority parties was tantamount to depriving the ruling party of majority status in the National Assembly.

“The composition of headships of committees must be seen for what it is: a declaration of war against the APC and the Presidency - all calculated at sabotaging the majority advantage that APC enjoys, with ultimate aim of rolling back the electoral victory of our party,” he said.

Hada said the composition of chairmen and deputy chairmen of committees was clear manifestations of the marginalisation of the ruling APC.

He said under the seventh assembly headed by Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, the then majority partyPDP-got 63 out of 89 committees of the House which constituted 71 per cent share of the committee while the Minority parties (ACN, ANPP, CPC and others) got only 26 out of the 89 committees which underscoresed the fact that the minority got only 29 per cent share of the committees.

“Today where as APC has 50 per cent and the Opposition has 50 per cent, this is totally unacceptable to us, we came to inform the party that we are still loyal to the party and we call on the party to make sure that Yakubu Dogara reverse same for the benefit of the party and benefit of Nigerians.

“We should not forget that Nigerians voted PDP out of this country of their misrule, we cannot accept that and the party has clearly understood our position,” he said.

When asked about the position of the party’s leadership on the dispute, Adar said the National Chairman, Chief John OdigieOyegun and other NWC members have decided to invite the Speaker to hear his own side of the issue.

The group which shares affinity with the House Majority Leader Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila stated that it is on record that Hon. Dogara has consistently taken the APC for granted on past occasions including his contempt for APC’s National Leadership when he spearheaded a boycott of the party’s plan to midwife a concensus arrangement for the emergence of the National Assembly principal officers.

Adar recalled that upon his emergence as Speaker, Dogara insisted on foisting his misguided and arrogant imposition of so-called ‘federal character’ in the Body of Principal Officers of the House, so as to frustrate the early stabilisation plan of the House as proposed by our party.

“Since climbing to the seat, Dogara has refused to belong properly to the APC House caucus, frustrating meetings, and, instead, romancing openly with PDP legislators, including holding clandestine meetings to plot the downfall of our party.

“In furtherance of this treachery, he has severally frustrated efforts by patriotic members who wanted to table salutary motions aimed at commending and encouraging Mr. President’s anti-corruption measures so far taken.

“In the same vein, the Speaker has continued to suppress critical and dissenting voices from contributing in debates at plenary sessions, while shamelessly promoting the dominance of activities of the House by hostile, opposition elements.

“Instead of promoting unity in the house, he is recklessly pursuing the path of division along ethnic and faith lines.

“In pursuit of his tyrannical agenda, the Speaker has caused a motley crowd of his co-conspirators to amend the House Rules, to enable him suspend members at will and generally apply punitive measures to kill the well known vibrancy that has historically characterised the House of Representatives.”

Meanwhile, despite the criticisms that have trailed the appointment of leadership of the Standing Committees of the House of Representatives, the Speaker, Dogara yesterday inaugurated the 96 standing committees.

The Majority Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, was however absent from the special session for the inauguration.

He was listed on the order paper to move the motion for admittance of “invited guests into the chamber for the purpose of inauguration of the Special and the Standing Committees of the House.”

The Chief Whip, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa, moved the motion in his stead. Gbajabiamila was also listed to deliver the welcome address, which was delivered by the Deputy House Leader, Hon. Jibrin Buba.

The Majority Leader had said he was not consulted in the appointments, and therefore sidelined. The Speaker’s camp has however maintained that while the prerogative over the appointments is statutorily the Speaker’s, he exercised it in consultation with all principal officers.

It remains unclear why the majority leader was absent, though THISDAY gathered that he was at a meeting at the secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Publicity, Hon. Jonathan Gaza, could not provide explanations for the absence of the majority leader especially as he was scheduled on the order paper.

“I do not know why he was absent, but I believe it was for a good cause,” he said. Gaza described as unfortunate, reports that some aggrieved members boycotted the inauguration, stating that Nigeria should be bigger than any individual.

“Time has been wasted on several things... when you walk into that chamber, its not about party anymore. We swore allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, not to our respective parties, it is therefore about the progress of Nigeria. The wheel of governance is spinning and Nigeria would begin its upward move,” he said.