Connect with us

Legislature

Betara insists that their group will determine the next Reps Speaker

Published

on

Share this story

One of the leading aspirant for the seat of the Speakership of the House of Representatives, Mr Muktar Betara Aliyu, has indicated that his group hold the ace to who emerges the next Speaker of the lower legislative chamber.

Speaking during the unveiling ceremony of the Speakership bid by a member of the coalition, Mr Ahmed Wase, he expressed optimism that their group would arrive at a consensus on who is best suited to preside over the proceedings of the House.

Betara, a fourth termer who chairs the House committee on Appropriation describes Wase as a brother and a comrade who is equally qualified to preside over the House.

Reiterating his opposition to the move to impose a Speaker on the House of Representatives, he noted: “For us, we formed this group because we are opposed to the zoning arrangement of the party, We are not fighting and we would not fight. We are in support of a consensus candidate.

“We can picked the candidate from among ourselves but if we all sit down and decided on it. I assure all of you it is only one person that God would choose to be Speaker. I assure you that we are not going to have any issue. We are going to agree to support one of us as speaker.”

For Sada Soli, there is need for fairness, inclusivity and respect for diversity in arriving at the choice of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The Katsina born lawmaker called on members elect to strive to protect the sanctity and freedom of the institution of the legislature.

“Anything short of that, the consequences would be dire. We must drop all personal interest geared towards producing a Speaker who would not take directive for some personal aggrandisement, a speaker who would tell you as it is. Lawmaking is a very serious business. It is beyond personal interests.”

Gagdi who spoke in the same vein warned against a rubberstammp Assembly that would take directive from forces outside the hallowed chamber of the National Assembly.

“We are determined to protect democracy. The House of Representatives is the House of the Nigerian people. By the time we are working, no leadership of party would be there. Only we and we would be doing the serious business of lawmaking.”

Mrs Miriam Onuoha, one of the members of the coalition reiterated her opposition to injustice in the polity while calling for inclusivity of women and other vulnerable groups that form over half the population of the country.

“I stand with the coalition, indivisibility of Nigeria. Legislature is independent. Member elect would rise up to the challenge to ensure the independence of the legislature,” she added.

Wase said it behooves on the leadership of the party to cede the seat to him having served the interest of the APC, the parliament and the nation over the years.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Legislature

Akpabio debunks impeachment rumour, says Senate is stable, harmonious

Published

on

By

Share this story

The Senate President Godswill Akpabio has debunked the rumour that some senators were plotting to impeach him.

Reating to the insinuation through his special adviser (Media and Publicity) Eseme Eyiboh in a statement, he said the Senate is stable and harmonious as it cannot be distracted by the innuendo of the merchants of political tar brush.

Eyiboh describe the rumour as a syndicated media attack from outside the precincts of the National Assembly
Reacting to what he described as syndicated reports in some weekend newspapers about plots to distabilise the Senate and its leadership, Eyiboh said the reports were complete imaginations and sometimes laced with malice to achieve what senators are yet to comprehend.

According to him the Senate has since gone past the experience of the keenly contested leadership election
Eyiboh said the plot to drag in Senators who initially did not support the emergence of the present leadership into a conspiracy that does not exist was uncharitable to the senators and a needless umbrage.

“Senators are presently concluding their holidays in their constituencies and other places they have chosen to spend their time after the rigours of the inauguration and ministerial screening and other constructive engagements,” Eyiboh said.

“All senators are also refreshing themselves ahead of the resumption, therefore, any suggestions that they are presently engaged in other subversive plots against the institution is rather uncharitable. “It is mostly uncharitable for those senators who initially did not support the emergence of the leadership but who have all unanimously endorsed the Senator Akpabio-led leadership. Continuing to link these senators with needless conspiracy with barely disguised innuendo is rather unkind.

“We call on the media not to give in to the conspiratorial tales, and not to give damage to the reputations that they have built over time,” Eyiboh concluded.

Continue Reading

Legislature

Senate says, rumour of impeachment of Akpabio is a ruse

Published

on

By

Share this story

The Senate on Saturday described as a ruse the rumour making the rounds in some media that some Senators were planning to impeach the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.

A press statement by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Yemi Adaramodu said, “our attention has just been drawn to a syndicated satanic verses in a section of the media, of purported and illusory plots of leadership change in the Senate.
Top politicians strongly opposed to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, were alleged to have planned to remove him when the Senate resumes later this month.

The forces were reported to be upset that the former Akwa Ibom State Governor is playing the role of a lap dog for President Tinubu rather than serving the overall interest of lawmakers and Nigerians

They alleged that Akpabio’s closeness to the president has made him not pay full attention to his colleagues and work hard enough to meet the expectations of Nigerians despite the challenges in the country.
But Adaramodu said,
“The Nigerian Senate is one united and fraternal family. This imaginative composition is in the realm of the fake and fallacious story of 100m per legislator. It’s apt to note that the 10th Senate, under the leadership of Senator Godswill Akpabio, has carried out its legislative and constitutional duties diligently.

“Within a span of less than 60 Legislative days, the Senate has passed life enhancing bills and motions. It has screened and confirmed service chiefs and ministers, among others, apart from very essential oversight functions.

“We urge the fifth columnists, who operate undoubtedly outside the Senate, desperate to cause disharmony through media stunts and thus clipping the wings of Nigeria’s democracy, to take caution.

“The Senate should be allowed fresh air to settle down for its national assignments so that the Nigerian project can move forward. The media, too, should be discerning not to be used as hand tools to these retailers of fake and bad news,” the statement added.

Continue Reading

Legislature

Benue North-East Senatorial contest: Senator Suswam returns as Tribunal Sacks APC’s Udende

Published

on

By

Share this story

Senator Gabriel Suswam of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been returned as the senator-elect for Benue North-East as the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sacked Senator Emmanuel Udende of the All Progressives Congress (APC)

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Udende as the winner of the Benue North-East senatorial election held on February 25.

Suswam, a member of the 9th senate, had lost his bid to return to the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

But he had proceeded to the court, arguing that Udende did not score majority of the lawful votes cast in the 25th February, 2023 for the Benue North East Senatorial District election.

Chairman of the three-man panel, Justice Ory Zik-Ikeorha and another member, ruled in the favour of Suswam and PDP.

The duo, in their judgment, averred that Suswam and PDP fulfilled the requirement of the law in proving their case of irregularities such as mutilation, non-signing of documents, non-inclusion of lawful votes, among others.

But, in a minority judgement, Justice Umar Mohammed, opposed the decision of the two other members of the panel, saying that the petitioner failed to proved his case.

Mohammed held that Suswam who called 19 witnesses most of who were irrelevant as the irregularities complained about were at the polling units and instead he called ward agents instead of polling unit agents.

Suswam and PDP’s petition was predicated on the ground that Udende did not score majority of the lawful votes cast during the election.

Justice Mohammed held that the evidence by Suswam was grossly insufficient to sustain his petition.

He therefore, dismissed the petition and awarded the cost of N100,000 in favour of each of the respondents against the petitioner.

Meanwhile, Innocent Daagba, on behalf of the APC, said, “we are not satisfied with the decision and will advice my client to appeal.”

The PDP, through Bemgba Iortyom, the State Publicity Secretary has applaude the judgment and congratulated the Senator.

The immediate past Governor of the State, Dr. Samuel Ortom, has also sent his congratulatory to Senator Suswam over his victory at the tribunal.

Ortom said the victory of Senator Suswam has further proven the capacity of the judiciary to uphold justice and serve as the bastion of democracy.

Continue Reading

Trending