…Wase attacks Abaribe, Elumelu over comments on Buhari’s “sins”, APC lawmakers’ defection to PDP

…Says Senate Minority should be in prison like Sen. Ndume

…There is judicial decision on Kanu’s matter, -Abonta counters Wase

By Levinus Nwabughiogu-Abuja

A mild drama ensued at the hallowed chamber of the House of Representatives yesterday as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Idris Wase, veered off a debate on the reports of a looming defection of many lawmakers from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, at yesterday’s plenary to unleash attacks on the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe.

Wase said Abaribe should be in prison, just like Senator Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South, for failing to produce the leader of Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kalu in court.

Trouble started  when Sada Soli from Katsina State raised a point of order, saying his privilege was breached by the utterances of the House minority leader, Ndudi Elumelu, who had at the recent National Executive Committee, NEC, of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, hinted that many lawmakers on the platform of APC had indicated interest to join them ahead of the 2023 general elections.

“I am pleased to report to NEC that given our unrelenting efforts, many of our colleagues in the APC have seen reasons to join forces with us and they have expressed their readiness to cross over to our party for the patriotic task ahead,” Elumelu had said.

Soli picked holes in Elumelu’s statement, saying his going to press to say  members of the ruling party had concluded plans to move to PDP had prompted a barrage of enquires from people who wanted to know if he was one of them.

Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, noted the privilege and ruled on the matter, saying people were at liberty to move, recalling that many from the opposition party had also shown theirs openly on the floor of the House.

But noticing the absence of Elumelu at the plenary, the deputy minority leader, Toby Okechukwu, raised another point of privilege.

Recognized to speak, Okechukwu, who hails from Enugu State, said that Soli’s privilege was not breached in any way.

He said that at no time did Soli go to Elumelu or the minority leader referring his comment as the resolution of the House.

“There was no breach of privilege. He didn’t say Sada came to him. He didn’t say it is the resolution of the House. He said some people came to him. And it is clear that Sada has been criss-crossing in this chamber.

‘’If other members are interested in moving to PDP, I do not see how it affects him. Like the speaker rightly said, anyone has liberty.”

In his response, the speaker said:   “You have to be reasonable enough to measure your words. NEC is a major party forum”.

Just about when he had almost ruled on the matter for plenary proceedings to continue, the Deputy Speaker, Wase, indicated interest to speak.

When the floor was yielded to him, Wase took on Elumelu, recalling that he left off the Executive session of the House to join Abaribe in solidarity in a press conference where they listed the “sins” of President Muhammadu Buhari and threatened impeachment.

At his juncture, many lawmakers wanted the connection the issue on the ground had with Abaribe.

The deputy speaker said like Ndume who was at a time imprisoned for bailing former chairman of Pension Reforms Task Team, Abdurasheed Maina and failed to produce him in court, Abaribe should also be sent to jail for failing to produce Nnamdi Kalu.

He said: “For him even to go out to report, it was a confidential matter. It was an executive session. There is a kind of false…that i am seeing because after that meeting, PDP caucus of the two chambers went and had another discussion.

“We need to be serious. I see someone as Abaribe as a leader in the Senate championing that. Yes, there are many flaws. He bailed Nnamdi Kanu and during the #EndSARS protest, we knew what happened. Kanu then was the one who was asking for the heads of Tinubu, destroy this, destroy that in the nation. But we have allowed him. He knew what happened to Ndume  for bailing Maina.  He was taken to prison for not producing him, but we allowed this man to go as opposition person.’’

As soon as Wase was done with his contribution, Nkem Abonta representing Ukwa East/West Federal Constituency of Abia State, raised a point of order.

Granted to speak, Abonta said the House was arrogating judicial powers to itself, wondering why Wase should bring Abaribe into the matter.

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He reminded the House that Abaribe and Ndume’s situations were not same as the military had reportedly struck at Kaun’s house.

“The man mentioned s my Senator. There is a judicial decision on this. Are we trying to arrogate to ourselves judicial powers as to when you cannot produce someone who you bailed..’’

Ruling on the matter, Gbajabiamila cautioned that leaders should be guided in making utterances capable of causing disunity.

“The deputy speakers point was not on the legality or non-legality. He was talking about the morality of it. If you remember he talked about Senator Ndume as well. And used that as an example. I think the point we need to make and understand is that we are all working together to build this nation.

‘’Nation building is a joint task among all of us whatever party, whatever tribe, whatever religion. We only have one country.

“In doing that, we should be mindful whilst we play our role as a ruling party, whilst we play our roles as opposition. We should be focused on the non-disintegration or bringing down of the country. We should be mindful of our speeches or our utterances. There is freedom of speech. But freedom to speak also has to be measured.’’

“Let us put this matter to rest. Let us on either side work together to move the country forward and let not partisan politics come between us or have a role in the direction we are going as a country. We have security summit coming up in a few days with members comprising of PDP, LABOUR, APC and that is the spirit we should carry on,” Gbajabiamila said and ruled on the matter.

Vanguard News Nigeria