10th House: Gbajabiamila, deputy speaker trade words at plenary
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and his deputy, Ahmed Idris Wase, yesterday exchanged words on the floor of the house during plenary. Wase challenged Gbajabiamila after an announcement requesting that the content of Thursday’s Order Paper be reduced to allow members to attend the official commissioning of the permanent site of […]
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The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and his deputy, Ahmed Idris Wase, yesterday exchanged words on the floor of the house during plenary.
Wase challenged Gbajabiamila after an announcement requesting that the content of Thursday’s Order Paper be reduced to allow members to attend the official commissioning of the permanent site of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS).
Gbajabiamila asked the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Abubakar Hassan Fulata, that the order paper should not be loaded with the day’s business to enable the house to adjourn early.
However, Wase reminded Gbajabiamila that the primary constitutional responsibility of the house was to make laws and other official tasks, saying that the commissioning of the NILDS headquarters should not be a reason to adjourn the sitting, noting that members willing to attend could go without stopping the activities of the house.
But Gbajabiamila clarified, saying the commissioning was not the priority that warranted his request, but that it was to reduce the content of the Order Paper to give room for other activities for members.
He said, “We are not adjourning the house for members to attend the commissioning. I said the Order Paper should be made lighter because I will attend the commissioning.”
But Wase said the house was not about the speaker alone, but all the members, hence his suggestion to allow those willing to attend to leave while the house went on with the business of the day.
After speaking to Wase about the importance of NILDS to the parliament, Gbajabiamila turned to the chairman of House Committee on Rules and Business, and said, “Make the Order Paper light for tomorrow. This house will adjourn at 2 pm.”
Daily Trust reports that there has been an uneasy calm between the speaker and his deputy, who is a frontline aspirant, since the endorsement of Abbas and Kalu as speaker and deputy speaker respectively.
Wase was said to have shunned leadership meetings held before plenary and had not been seen in the speaker’s procession to the chamber.
Wase had accused the speaker of abandoning him and other aspirants and supporting Abbas.
Recall that the speaker had before the zoning of the speakership to the North West and the deputy speakership to the South East by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) promised to go with the decision of the party.
The zoning saw the emergence of Abbas and Kalu as consensus candidates of the party, which the speaker supported as he promised.
However, the decision pitched him against Wase and the other candidates who vowed to challenge the decision of the party.
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