By Emman Ovuakporie

..Plot to scuttle 2017 budget thickens
..No plan to sack Dogara —Ogor

ABUJA—Aggrieved members of the House of Representatives, who felt shortchanged in the distribution constituency projects in 2016 Appropriation Act, yesterday, forced the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, to end plenary in 30 minutes.

This is even as the Minority Leader of the House, Leo Ogor, dismissed plans by any group of lawmakers to truncate the administration of the speaker

Since the inception of the 8th Assembly, the least number of hours spent is three.

Recall that the suspended former chairman of the House Appropriation Committee, Abdulmumin Jibrin, raised allegations against the Yakubu Dogar-chaired Body of Principal Officers, singling out the Speaker; his deputy, Yussuf Lasun; Chief Whip, Ado Doguwa and Minority Leader, Leo Ogor.

Jibrin had alleged that the quartet cornered N40 billion in projects to themselves in the 2016 budget and another N20 billion from the N100 billion allocated to the National Assembly for constituency project in 2016.

Speaker Dogara

Though the allegations were all refuted by the principal officers, it obviously opened a window for scrutiny among members of the House who felt cheated in the way projects were distributed.

It was also gathered that part of the conditions for peace in the House was that an ad-hoc committee be set up to investigate Jibrin’s allegations and report to the House in an executive session.

However, more than seven months after, the leadership appears to be dragging its feet in asking the committee, which membership composition could not be ascertained, to present the report before members in a closed session.

The development, according to an insider source, has now caught up with the leadership as the aggrieved members are insisting on seeing the report on the distribution of zonal intervention projects that almost brought the House into disrepute last year.

Plot to scuttle 2017 budget thickens

“We are insisting that the report be made known to us. Though we have forgiven them of their betrayal, let us see how we were cheated and who got what from it. That was the agreement, unless the House is not interested in giving Nigerians a budget this year,” the source said.

Strangely too, the House, which was expected to bring the 2017 Appropriation Bill for consideration, yesterday, began and concluded plenary within 30 minutes, with no mention of the budget.

The session, which usually starts at 11 am, was delayed for about 15 minutes due to the late arrival of the presiding officer, Speaker Yakubu Dogara, who came at about 11.15 a.m.

The speaker, who observed the routine ritual of offering prayers, thereafter took announcements and also approved the votes and proceeding of the previous day.

No plan to sack Dogara— Ogor

However, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Leo Ogor, said there were no plans by any group of lawmakers to impeach the speaker, contrary to claims by some unidentified lawmakers.

Ogor, who revealed this in a chat with the Vanguard, said:  “Anybody peddling rumours regarding impeachment plots against the speaker must be displaying the figment of his/her imagination.”

The minority leader maintained that the job of the speaker was safe and would remain so in the 8th House, adding that “impeachment can’t rear its ugly head for now.”