BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH
As the newly elected and returned members of the House of Representatives are sworn in today, the lawmakers have been urged to jettison zoning formula of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  and elect their leaders on the basis of the Constitution and House Rules.

This advice was given by the former Chairman of the West African Bar Association, WABA, Mr. Femi  Falana, who disclosed that he was ready to offer a free legal service to any lawmaker threatened by the PDP for  overruling its decision to adopt zoning formula for the appointment of principal officers of the House.

He said: “I urge the members of the House of Representatives to go ahead and elect their leaders on the basis of the Constitution and the House Rules and not on the basis of the internal arrangement of the PDP.

However, in view of the threat  of the Presidency and the PDP  over the election of the Speaker tomorrow, I offer to defend pro bono publico any member of the House of Representatives who may be expelled or suspended from the PDP for exercising his democratic rights in strict compliance with the provisions of the Constitution.”

The statement said, it wonder why the PDP decided to adopt zoning after same was rejected by the party while choosing the party’s presidential candidate in the last general election.

It stated, “before the just concluded general elections the PDP was made to abandon its policy of zoning of political offices to pave way for the emergence of President Jonathan. Having succeeded in insisting on his constitutional right to contest for the highest political office in Nigeria, Jonathan is morally and politically estopped from compelling the House of Representatives to choose its principal officers on the basis of zoning, religion or any other sectional consideration.”

Stating that the political class in Nigeria should not be allowed to dictate the fate of the over 150 million Nigerians, Falana noted,  “the Nigerian political class should not be allowed to continue to play divisive politics in order to divert the attention of our people from the crisis of underdevelopment. For goodness sake what have the masses of the North and the West benefited from producing their sons as rulers of the country? Has the looting spree of the House of Representatives under the leadership of Honourable Patricia Etteh and Dimeji Bankole not embarrassed the Yoruba people?”

He called on the lawmakers both at the House of Reps and he senate to support any candidate who will collaborate with him (president) in the transformation of the country which he promised in his inaugural address to the nation.

“Let the Senate be told that the resolution just passed to bar newly elected senators from holding leadership posts is discriminatory, illegal and unconstitutional. However, the House of Representatives should be commended for saying “Nay” to zoning,” he added.