There is disquiet among members of the House of Representatives elected on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform following the alleged deduction of N1 million from their September allowances to fund the election of the Edo State governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo.
Okpebholo contested and won the September 21 gubernatorial election in Edo State on the platform of the ruling party. He polled 291,667 votes to defeat his main rivals, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 247,274 votes, and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP), who secured 22,763 votes to come a distant third in the fierce electoral contest.
LEADERSHIP learnt that the decision of the House leadership led by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to unilaterally deduct over N1 million from the September allowances of each of the APC House members is causing ripples in the second chamber of the National Assembly.
The grumbling lawmakers are said to be upset by Abbas’ effrontery and spoiling for a showdown with the leadership of the House.
LEADERSHIP learnt that N1.4m was unilaterally deducted from the allowances of each of the APC members of the House in September.
The breakdown showed that N1m was deducted to support Okpebholo, N200,000 was taken to aid Borno flood victims, and the balance of N200,000 was meant for the family of a former Speaker of the House, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, who died on December 27, 2023.
This newspaper was also told that the leadership of the House had initiated moves to pacify the aggrieved lawmakers.
Findings revealed that Abbas made the decision in solidarity with the Senate, of which Okpebholo is a serving member representing Edo Central Senatorial District.
Our investigation showed that the Senate offered the same gesture to Okpebholo as part of the measures to back him to clinch the plumb job.
However, there was no uproar in the Senate as the gesture received the nod of the senior parliamentarians.
One of our sources told this newspaper that the Senate leadership deducted funds from the September allowances of the APC senators and handed them over to Okpebholo after due consultation with them.
However, another source said the reverse was the case in the House of Representatives, as Abbas did not consult his colleagues on supporting Okpebholo during the gubernatorial contest.
The astounded lawmakers were forced to confront the account department of the National Assembly for explanations over the deductions.
One source who craved anonymity told LEADERSHIP: “N1.4m was deducted from us as APC members of the House of Representatives. According to our all-knowing and powerful leadership, N1m was removed for Edo election, N200,000 for Borno flood victims, and N200,000 for the late Ghali Umar Na’ Abba’s family. That is the explanation from the Finance Department of the National Assembly
“They didn’t deem it fit to seek our opinions and consent before they tampered with our legitimate earnings. This is too bad, especially for some of us who are not getting extra income as members of the House.
“Some of us are not even chairmen and vice chairmen of any juicy committee where we can garner additional income. All we have is our paltry salary and allowances. Yet, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and his cohorts still tamper with our statutory entitlements without the courtesy of seeking our consent and approval. The leadership does not treat us like colleagues but just like their aides and appointees, who can be maltreated and ignored.
“To some members, who are in the leadership cadre and those who chair juicy committees, N1m is a non-issue as some of them have made billions of naira in less than two years of the 10th Assembly, but for some of us who rely on just salaries and allowances, N1m is a big deal. As it stands, the leadership of the House shortchanged us by N1.4m in the month of September, and it’s painful.”
Similarly, another source stated, “This is the height of insensitivity on the part of the leadership not to even consider it good to engage us before deducting funds meant for us. Are we not now laughing stocks before our colleagues in the opposition parties? While a majority of the juicy committees are in the hands of the opposition members, we are still subjected to excruciating pressure from a party that does not care about us.
“It then means that while we as APC members are subjected to this deprivation, we go back to the opposition elements within the party to make up for whatever the effect will be.
“I can say this in confidence: the lawmakers are spoiling for war. But they are engaging us. They later came to us to appeal after shortchanging and ridiculing us”, added the source, who also pleaded that his name should not be mentioned in print.
LEADERSHIP could not ascertain how much Abbas garnered from his colleagues and handed over to Okpebholo as the present membership strength of the APC in the House could not be confirmed before press time on Sunday.
The ruling party had 162 elected members in the House at the time of the inauguration of the 10th Assembly on June 13, 2023, but various court judgements, which led to the nullification of the elections of some House members and consequential supplementary elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fill the voided seats, altered the equation in the House.
House spokesman Akin Rotimi Jr. refused to react to the report. He shunned weeks of entreaties in telephone calls and text messages to get him to comment on the subject matter.
LEADERSHIP Correspondent covering the House also sent an SMS and WhatsApp message to the spokesperson, Rotimi Jr., at 5:15pm, yet he did not respond.
“Good evening, sir. This is Dr. James Ken, LEADERSHIP Correspondent covering Reps. We heard from the grapevine that the contributions of APC members to the Edo state governorship election are causing rumblings. What do you have to say?” the message read.
