Crisis: Reps scout for Bankole’s replacement

Dimaji Bankole

By Tordue Salem
ABUJA— MEMBERS in the two major divides in the House of Representatives, comprising those in support of Speaker Dimeji Bankole and the Dino Melaye-led Progressives Forum, recently involved in a fracas on the floor of the House were, weekend, scouting for a possible replacement for Bankole in case the Speaker was “inevitably” removed over allegations of corruption.

Vanguard learnt that they went a step further to put forward the name of the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, Ademola Adeseun, to succeed embattled Dimeji Bankole.

The suspended leader of the Progressives, Daniel ‘Dino’ Melaye, PDP, Kabba/Ijumu/Kogi, told Vanguard that lawmakers comprising members of the Progressives and some of those he referred to as  “so-called members who are for the Speaker”, met on Saturday in Abuja to pick Adeseun as the tentative successor to Bankole.

Dino in a phone chat said the members settled for the PDP-lawmaker from Egbeda in Oyo State, because they wanted the projects they voted for in the 2010 budget protected.

He said: “Some members met on Saturday, somewhere in Abuja, and chose Adeseun to succeed Bankole as Speaker, and what I am telling you is very authentic. You can go and verify it anywhere. They (the members) are propping him up, because they feel, as Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, he will protect their interests in the budget.

Constituency projects

“You know the budget was padded up by members, constituency projects, so most of the members want their interests protected, and they feel that it is only him that can protect their interests.”

Meanwhile, more facts emerged on how the Progressives’ lost out in the protest against the reading of a motion that suspended 11 of its membership.

A member of the House who hails from Imo State said: “Many members who were not happy the way this guy handled committees were ready to back Dino and his group. It was a matter of somebody rising up with a strong-worded counter-motion and insisting that issues raised by the group be addressed rather than sacking Dino and others.”

The source regretted that “the approach used by the group was not the right one,” adding: “They would have waited for the motion to finish, then you would have seen other members who were looking for opportunity to address the problems in the House begin to speak against their suspension, and at the end of the day, they would have got what they wanted.”

The lawmaker who is one of the youngest among the members of the South-east Caucus, is one of the closest to the Speaker of the House, and a Deputy Chairman of a key Committee. Though not yet a member of the Progressives, the legislator said: “Come to think of it, they (the Progressives) have a case.”

Decision to stand on Bankole’s side

Another member from Anambra State, who is expected to clinch the Works Committee, said: “The suspension motion could have been dismissed, because it did not strictly follow, laid down parliamentary procedure, if the suspended lawmakers conducted themselves well.”

The House of Representatives had on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 suspended 11of its members for breaching the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, the House Rules.

The members that were suspended are Reps Dino Melaye, Ehiogie West Idahosa, Independence Ogunewe, Solomon Awhinawhi, Austin Nwachukwu, Abba Anas, Gbenga Oduwaiye, Kayode Amusan, Gbenga Onigbogi, Bitrus Kaze and Doris Uboh.