One of the most difficult but commendable decisions the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Dogara Yakubu has taken of late is the announcement of Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, from South West as the Leader of the 8th House of Representatives, along with other leaders.
In what some people described as conceding the leadership positions to members of the House who were hitherto seen as belonging to the opposing camp, the Speaker announced Abdul Jubril from North Central; Alhassan Ado Doguwa from North West and Pally Iriase from the South-South as Deputy Leader, Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip respectively of the House.
The announcement of the principal officers of the House during plenary on Tuesday July 28, 2015 followed series of political intrigues, manipulations and calculations. Meetings at various caucuses and levels were held with a view to finding lasting solution to the matter which had disturbed a lot of concerned groups and individual Nigerians. The meetings held included those with notable personalities such as the President, Muhammadu Buhari and Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
And so, when the Speaker took the bold decision to announce the names of the leaders, it finally put to rest the over one-month old leadership crisis which stalled activities at the Lower Legislative Chambers of the National Assembly. That singular act was greeted with applauses from political analysts and keen observers of the Legislature and the political landscape of the country in general.
Most observers described the outcome of the crisis as a situation of “No victor, no anguished”, while the Speaker got the loudest accolades from both the Legislators and Nigerians who described him as a “hero”.
Recall that Dogara’s initial insistence that all geopolitical zones in the country benefit from the leadership positions of the House was to ensure fairness, justice as well as sustenance of the principle of Federal Character as enshrined in our constitution. This is understandable in the light of the fact that the Legislature, being a strong pillar of civil democracy should lead by example in preaching principle of fairness, equity, justice and inclusiveness in governance.
However, as a loyal party man and as a lover of peace and stability of democracy as well as being sensitive to calls from Nigerians that the leadership issue be resolved, Dogara had to exhibit an uncommon spirit of sacrifice and magnanimity in victory to ensure that normalcy returned at the House.
After due consideration of the appeal made by the President that the House should resolve the impasse, the Speaker showed once again that he was a selfless person and capable of handling every issue that would arise from the House with maturity and for the overall benefit of Nigerians.
But before announcing the landmark decision, the Speaker had a word for those who were trading on the crisis for their selfish gains: “Those who think they will continue to make more money from this issue will be disappointed”., the soft-spoken Dogara declared.
And then there was dead silence in the House for a moment after that statement. It was followed by applause, cheers and jeer by the members who kept shouting the speaker’s name “Dogara hero”, “Dogara hero”, “Hero”, with some of them attempting to carry him.
Any person who has been following the events that led to the emergence of the Speaker (from North East), his Deputy, Yusuf Suleman Lasun (from South West) and the aftermaths will undoubtedly say Dogara took a bold decision that day to ensure the stability of the House. That was not without reservations from some of his supporters.
Among the politicians who have applauded the resolution of the crisis is Hon. Bello Dantani Argungu, member representing Argungu/Augie Federal Constituency in Kebbi State who said:` “The action of the Speaker shows that he knows what he was doing; he has his party and Nigerians at heart.
“The way and manner the Speaker handled the issue helped a lot in dousing the tension. So, he must be commended for that and I urge him to continue to conduct the affairs of the House with the way he started.”
On his part, member representing Ganye/Jada/Toungo Federal Constituency, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas the President directed that the party should consult the leadership of the House in resolving the issue which they did hence the resolution of the problem.
Arguably, by that singular decision made, Dogara is at peace with the party just as the party is at peace with him.
In fact, following the resolution of the crisis, the Chairman of APC, Mr. John Oyegun commended Dogara and his colleagues for what he described as the sense of patriotism in handling the situation that arose in the House.
Although the fallout of the announcement was greeted with complaints and petition by the APC South East caucus of the House of marginalization, the resolution of the matter has led to stability in the House. This, they made it categorically clear during a press briefing after the announcement of the leadership positions.
To further show their grievances, the member representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency of Imo State on the platform of APC, Hon. Chukwukere Austine Ikechukwu rose to lodge the complaint of the sub-region during a plenary on Thursday.
He said Nigerians were wondering the injustice meted on the South East by not giving them even one leadership position in the House of Representatives while some geo-political zones had more than one leadership position.
Again, Dogara exhibited his leadership qualities by declaring that the whole leadership of the House would look into his complaint of the sub-region being denied of their privilege as stated. There was thunderous applause from the House, ostensibly in approval of the Speaker’s decision.
The cheering news is that both Dogara and Gbajabiamila have said that the House and party emerged stronger and better from the crisis.
This has started reflecting in the speedy commencement of legislative activities at the House where motions have been passed and bills introduced with a view to ensuring good governance.
Furthermore, the nomination of representatives of the states in the selection committee of the House has also been concluded peacefully. Expectedly, soon, the committees of the House will be announced to ensure full scale parliamentary activities at the House.
Observers have commended the peaceful resolution of the leadership crisis, attributing it to the accommodating, sacrificial and sterling leadership qualities of the Speaker.
The analysts say if the tempo is sustained, Nigeria will witness a robust and vibrant House of Representatives, which will ultimately compliment President Muhammadu Buhari’s Change Agenda as well as deepen our democracy. All that is needed is to support and cooperate with the Speaker who has a vision to transform the House and Legislature in general to an enviable height to meet contemporary best practices globally.
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