A recent showdown is imminent within the House of Representatives as over 150 aggrieved first-time members are up in arms in opposition to the Home management over alleged marginalisation and exclusion from legislative enterprise.
Already, the embittered federal lawmakers have fashioned a strain group, codenamed “Novelty Group,” as a veritable platform for realising their mission and imaginative and prescient.
The group’s inaugural assembly, initially scheduled for Abuja yesterday night, was abruptly cancelled following the demise of a Home member, Hon Olaide Adewale Akinremi.
Till his passage, Hon Akinremi represented Ibadan North Federal Constituency of Oyo State on the platform of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC).
A member of the group instructed LEADERSHIP final night time {that a} new date for the inaugural assembly could be made public after the mourning interval for the departed lawmaker.
An influential APC Home member from one of many six states within the nation’s South/South geopolitical zone (identify withheld) is coordinating the group’s actions.
LEADERSHIP learnt that membership of the dissenting group was rising as of Wednesday night time. First-time members represent about 75 % of the 360-member House of Representatives.
Findings by LEADERSHIP additional revealed that membership of the group minimize throughout eight political events with membership within the Home, and 6 geopolitical zones of the nation.
Info accessible to LEADERSHIP revealed that members of the splinter group have been significantly angered that the Home had grow to be an appendage of the Presidency.
One of many lawmakers instructed LEADERSHIP that his colleagues have been aggrieved by the way in which the Home management simply buckled to the whims and caprices of the Presidency in passing government payments and different sundry correspondences from the Presidency.
He stated his colleagues have been involved that the management had sacrificed their pursuits, well-being, and welfare on account of its romance with the chief arm of presidency.
Speaker Tajudeen Abbas was accused of not appearing decisively and assertively sufficient to ensure the Home’s independence.
LEADERSHIP gathered that members of the group have been plotting the impeachment of Abbas, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, Home Chief Julius Ihonvbere and Minority Chief Kingsley Chinda.
Dependable sources within the Home revealed that the protesting lawmakers have been uncomfortable with Kalu’s authoritarian tendencies and conceited postures, particularly when he was chosen to preside in Abbas’ absence.
The primary-term lawmakers have been reported to be after Ihonvbere and Chinda for alleged failure to guard and sacrifice their pursuits on account of pecuniary good points.
Equally, chairmen of the varied Home committees additionally incurred the wrath of the lawmakers for excluding them from the actions of the committees.
They added that the chairmen willfully sidelined their deputies and different members of their committees in finishing up oversight features and sharing of accruing advantages.
They vowed to make sure a rejig of the Home committees to weed out the uncooperative chairmen.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the discussion board additionally resolved “to cope with their oppressive first-time colleagues, who have been lucky to be made committee chairmen.”
One of many lawmakers stated, “We have now handed government payments in very uncommon methods inside hours with out severe legislative trade, as a result of we’re a mere rubber-stamp of the Presidency. That’s the approach the Home management, headed by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas introduced us to the Presidency.
“A lot of the new members are struggling despite the fact that all of us contested the identical election, spending thousands and thousands. We’re handled with disdain as outcasts within the Home by the so-called rating members and our first-time colleagues who’re lucky to be made chairmen of the varied committees.
“Nigerians see us all as unmindful of their plight when, in reality, only some within the management cadre profit from no matter they accuse us of amassing.”
“The chief, particularly some ministers, have cornered the ministries, departments and businesses (MDAs), and the CEOs of federal businesses give no rattling about us (federal lawmakers),” he said in a phone interview with LEADERSHIP.
“Chairmen of committees are actually behaving like demi- gods, relegating their deputies and first-timers to the background. And most of those so-called privileged first time and rating members hardly come to plenary. A few of them supervise and administer in addition to confiscate advantages from the federal businesses and parastatals we’re presupposed to deal with collectively from overseas.
“A specific girl, who’s a first-time member and chairperson of Home committees of a juicy fee, has been resident in London, from the place she solely performs and administers the oversight features of a committee since our inauguration.
“No member. together with her deputy, is aware of what is going on within the committee and the fee. She sometimes dishes out directions and offers out nauseating hand-outs from the fee to members of the committee, whom she treats like her aides. We will not tolerate this garbage.
“We now go cap in hand begging colleagues for jobs meant to be allotted to our federal constituencies. We wish to present the nation that each one just isn’t effectively and that not all lawmakers are insensitive to their plight.
“The close to rebellion within the chambers in opposition to the retroactive approval of the extension of the 2023 Appropriation Act to December 2024 is a tip of the iceberg.
“We despatched again the everlasting secretary within the Federal Ministry of Finance when the minister didn’t honour our invitation to work together with us on the 2024 finances implementation to inform the chief arm of presidency that we can’t proceed to be taken as a right.”
“Extra decisive actions are to comply with as a result of the management has shortchanged us. Novelty Group is fashioned to right all these.”
“We’re 150 members now and counting. We aren’t at peace with the Speaker (Abbas), who has bought us to the Presidency,” he stated, including that each the deputy speaker and the bulk chief and minority chief have been on their firing line.
“And a rejig of the committees is one other mission of our group,” stated the Home member who craved that his identify be not talked about in print.
When contacted, the Home spokesman and chairman of the Home Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Akin Rotimi Jr., claimed ignorance concerning the formation and existence of the splinter group.
Rotimi, nevertheless, added that if such group was ever based by Home members, it could be a part of the legislative processes.
“As a member of a number of first-time parliamentarian teams myself, I can guarantee you that these teams are fashioned to advance frequent pursuits and facilitate collaboration on legislative points.
“They’re a traditional and wholesome side of our parliamentary course of, offering a platform for members to specific their views and work collectively on issues of mutual concern.”
“I need to emphasise that I’m not conscious of any organised effort to “gang up in opposition to the Home management” as you talked about.
“It’s vital to notice that roughly 75 % of the tenth Meeting Home of Representatives members are first-time lawmakers, and the Meeting consists of illustration from eight totally different political events.
“The range throughout the Home underscores the necessity for numerous teams to kind and handle particular pursuits and points collaboratively.
“The Home management stays dedicated to inclusive and clear governance, guaranteeing that each one members, together with first-time representatives, are adequately represented and have their voices heard,” Rotimi stated in a WhatsApp message to LEADERSHIP.
