Speaker of the House, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila yesterday celebrated his 60th birthday and today’s edition should ordinarily celebrate a man who has dedicated over 20 years of his life to the service of this great nation. While I felicitate the birthday boy on his diamond jubilee celebration, I also wish him the grace of a long life enough to witness the implications of his political geremanding, particularly as speaker of the House.
There is no doubting the fact that Gbaja, as fondly called, parades one of the best qualities among the leaders ever produced by Nigeria’s parliament and can stab shoulder-to-shoulder with any leader across the globe. However, albeit for political reasons, how he has been able to deploy his intellectual prowess to raise the bar of the Nigerian parliament and advance the independence of the legislature, as promised by the 9th House of Representatives, is for the public to judge.
Although I am not oblivious of the fact that opinions will be divided in the public scrutiny of Speaker Femi Gbajabimila, his deputy, Ahmed Idris Wase and the House they lead, I make bold to say that Nigeria’s Democratic development made some gains, particularly with the new Electoral Act 2022, the speaker played a key role in ensuring some laudable reforms through the legislation. It is not enough to insinuate that the speaker ensured a piece of legislation that guarantee a level playing ground in the electoral process to protect the presidential ambition of his principal, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I will care less about this attribution and focus mainly on the gains Gbajabiamila’s intervention has brought to the country’s democratic development. For instance, the survival of sections 84(8) and 84(12) of the electoral act which many Nigerians are already happy about was jealously protected by Gbaja, even though, he could not achieve the electronic transfer of election results and the option A4 system which he suggested.
Been that as it may, I am worried that despite the little achievements of the House under Gbajabimila’s leadership, some sensitive decisions may rob the 9th House and by extension Gbajabimila its place of pride in Nigeria’s history books.
Just like the legendary football star, Diego Maradona, the Gbaja and his deputy last week dribbled Nigerians again, hiding under the House rules. In the last two weeks, attempts by the House to override President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to assent to Clause 84(8) of the Electoral Act (Amendment) bill, 2022, which provides for Statutory Delegates to participate in political parties’ primaries was schemed out by the two presiding officers. Gbajabimila and Wase took different positions on the same matter, yet claimed that it was just clarification and that there was no controversy in their rulings.
The member representing Ethiope Federal Constituency of Delta State, Hon. Ben Igbakpa at the plenary penultimate Wednesday raised a constitutional point of order, citing section 58 (8) of the 1999 constitution which empowers the National Assembly to enact laws and also override the President with a two-thirds majority of the members’ vote. But the speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila urged Igbakpa to formally present a motion in that regard.
When Igbakpa presented the matter through a motion on Tuesday, the deputy speaker, Ahmed Idris Wase who presided over the plenary refused to seek a seconder to the motion as he noted that seeking to override the president’s veto through a motion was procedurally wrong.
“I am not asking you stop the process, you are exercising your right as a legislator, my guidance is that this is the right procedure. You should formally write to the speaker and also serve the two-thirds majority of the members not just the members at the plenary. It is not necessary to call for a seconder,” Wase said.
Surprisingly, perhaps following media attention to the inconsistency, Gbajabimila while commenting on Wase’s ruling the following day, stressed that according to order 12 rule 20 of the House rules, the lawmaker could present the matter as a substantive motion to be recommitted or go by way of reintroducing the Bill again for first, second readings and third reading
“There is no contradiction or difference between what the deputy speaker said yesterday and what I pronounced on Wednesday. They are the same. The combined reading and the Constitution and our rules. Honourable Igbakpa, I indeed said that you should come with a substantive motion. Can you read order 12 rule 20. This is a matter that has not been touched upon except for one of two instances, so it is important to give it clarity. I noticed that it was a subject of debate on Channels TV this morning.
“If you read that with the rest of our provisions in the rules and our constitution. You have to bring the bill back for consideration, but how do you bring the bill back? You have to bring the bill back by way of substantive motion. And you now recommitting it to perhaps the committee of the whole or in the alternative you go through the whole process again, first, second readings or you commit to committee of the whole for consideration. You still have to bring a substantive motion to bring the Bill back, not just by saying let us override. The Bill has to be brought back to the House. There is judicial interpretation in the National Assembly vs Attorney General.”
This is not the first or second time that sensitive matters have suffered technical defeat in the Green Chambers in this assembly and it has dealt a big blow to the image of the House. The leadership particularly the Committee on Rules and Business should do more to scrutinise bills and motions before listing them for debate to avoid wasting legislative time. Unfortunately, like others in the past, this matter may not be raised again.
In the joyous spirit of Gbajabimila’s 60th birthday celebration, I will save further discussions on this topic as I hope that Nigerians will never again be embarrassed by another legislative manipulation in the 9th Assembly. Happy birthday Mr Speaker!
