APC, PDP Reps Fight Over Control Of House

APC Loses Two Members, PDP Loses One BEVERLY HILLS, CA, January 21, (THEWILL) -  As the House of Representatives resumed plenary from the Christmas break Tuesday, a fight ensued between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) when the Minority Leader of the House, Hon.

Femi Gbajabiamila, in an attempt to assert the numerical strength of APC over PDP referred to the Deputy Majority Leader, Hon.

Leo Ogor, as the "Deputy Minority Leader.
" The fight however ensued even after two members from the APC defected to the PDP, while one Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) lawmaker defected to the APC and one PDP member defected to APC.

Those who defected were Hon.
Titsi Ganama (APC to PDP, Adamawa) Hon.
Haske Hananiya (APC to PDP, Adamawa), Hon.
Emmanuel Jime (PDP to APC, Benue) and Hon.
Suleiman Yahaya Kwande (DPP to APC, Plateau).
Gbajabiamila's "offensive"  comment came about following his contribution to a motion of urgent importance sponsored by  Hon.

Aliyu Sani Madaki (APC, Kano).
The Kano lawmaker had in his motion, titled 'the urgent need to save our nascent democracy' sought the leave of the House to call on President Goodluck Jonathan to remove the Inspector General of Police, Abubakar Mohammed, from office within two weeks, and also urged the Police Service Commission (PSC) to dismiss the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr.

Joseph Mbu.
He also sought the resolution of the House to urge the federal Ministry of Justice to initiate the prosecution of Mbu.

But deputy majority leader, Hon.
Leo Ogor (PDP, Delta),  opposed the prayers of the motion, arguing that such a resolution would amount to denying the IGP and commissioner of police  their fundamental right of fair hearing.

Minority leader, Hon.
Femi Gbajabiamila (APC, Lagos) who did not agree with the submission of Ogor argued that it is the responsibility of the government to protect the citizens.

But Gbajabiamila caused a stir when he referred to the majority leader as 'minority leader' while supporting the motion.

This was not taken lightly by the APC members who reacted promptly and challenged him.

This also made the APC members to rise in his defence.

And this created a stalemate on the floor with members  shouting the slogan of their various parties with each trying to marshal  their points.

Order was however restored on the floor after more than 20 minutes of disagreement.

When normalcy returned to the floor, Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who presided over the session, warned his colleagues to desist from efforts capable of undermining the mandate given to them by the electorate.

Reacting specifically to the comment made by the APC leader, the speaker described the reference to Ogor as a 'minority leader' as the 'new year joke,' adding that he was in possession of an Abuja High Court order restraining the House from effecting any change in its leadership pending the determination of the suit before it and wondered why the minority leader was still talking about it.

'The minority leader, who is a very senior lawyer and senior member of the House presented to us what to me is a New Year joke because I know that as lawmakers, we have rules that govern our actions to make good laws for good governance.

'We are aware of the issues he's (Gbajabiamila) going to raise.

We have had discussions one-on-one and that is why I was taken aback when he made that remark.

Be that as it may, we will maintain the status quo.

'I confirm that the House as an institution has received a communication on the court order.

And as lawmakers, we should be the last to disobey court orders.

On a lighter note, in 1992, Chief MKO Abiola was heading towards winning the presidential election.

But when what happened happened, the government did not declare him winner.

What we have now in our history books is that the election was inconclusive; it was the freest and fairest election ever,' Tambuwal said.

Tambuwal also admonished his colleagues on the need to play politics with national interest at the core, saying 'we are all key players; we continue to remind ourselves to hold ourselves to keep Nigeria.

Politics as politicians, we must play.
But take out the legislature and what we have is dictatorship.

' Gbajabiamila who was given the opportunity to respond however refused to apologise, insisting that 'Hon.

Leo Ogor remains Leo Ogor to him.
' While ruling on the motion,  Tambuwal mandated the House Committees on Rules and Business, Judiciary and Justice to study the motion and make relevant recommendations to within one week.