A chamber or boxing ring?

Unlike the previous Assemblies, rebellion, scandals, and the normal friction between the executive and the legislative arms of government is non existent. The 6th National Assembly members seem always not ready to raise their voices against the leadership, which may be the reason why the chairman of the legislative arm of government and Senate President, […]

Unlike the previous Assemblies, rebellion, scandals, and the normal friction between the executive and the legislative arms of government is non existent. The 6th National Assembly members seem always not ready to raise their voices against the leadership, which may be the reason why the chairman of the legislative arm of government and Senate President, David Mark  has been advocating for the return of all the lawmakers in 2011 beginning with automatic tickets from their parties.

However, in the House there is one man who stood out by always daring and eager, if not desperate, to challenge the “cabal” that its leadership has become. The  Imo born Ogunewe, has not only made his mark as an  opposition against the grand norm but has also earned the reputation as an adversary of Speaker Dimeji Bankole.

The long animosity between Bankole and Ogunewe was said to have started when Ogunewe contested for the position of the Chief Whip of the House but lost to Chukuemeka Nkem Ihedioha who also hailed from the same state with him. Ogunewe was said to have attributed his defeat to Bankole who is a well-known ally of  Ihedioha.  Ogunewe also accused Bankole and Ihedioha of sponsoring a vote-of -no confidence passed on him by the Imo State House of Assembly. Since then, the battle line was drawn and the duo never see anything good in each other. The frosty relationship worsened when Bankole reshuffled the standing committees of the House and removed Ogunewe from the chairmanship of the “lucrative” Aviation committee in 2008 and replaced him with Rep. Bethel Amadi (PDP, Imo) and then gave him the “ less juicy” chairmanship of the committee on Cooperation and Integration in Africa.

Ogunewe again got entangled in  yet another skirmish with Bankole’s  Speakership when he became the arrow-head of the agitation to probe the infamous N2.3 billion naira car purchase scam   with Rep. Gbenga Oduwaiye (PDP, Ogun), Solomon Ahwinawhi (PDP, Delta), Festus Adegoke (PDP, Oyo), and Kayode Amusan (PDP, Ogun).

However, as their efforts did not yield any result, they  retreated in to their camps and waited for yet another opportunity to take on the “enemy”

Ogunewe and his allies were said to have been totally sidelined in the scheme of things, including not being recognized to speak on the floor of the House  for a period of not less than six months during debates on motions and Bills which are the hallmark of parliament.

This also climaxed  in February, 2009, when opposition to the N2.3 billion worth of cars bought in the House  snowballed into the suspension of Ogunewe for 14 legislative days by the lower chamber by unanimous decision at plenary. He lost the chairmanship of the Committee on Co-operation and Integration in Africa in the controversy that trailed the saga.

Ogunewe was among those quizzed by the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges over allegations by one Umar Faruk that he (Ogunewe) had paid him huge sums of money to indict the leadership of the House in the N2.3billion cars scandal.

On  that faithful day, Ogunewe, on the orders of Bankole, refused to take his seat while the House was in session. He was said to have walked out on the House after making remarks against the leadership.

Angered by Ogunewe’s attitude,  Rep. Alhassan Garba (PDP, Kano) drew attention of his colleagues to House Order 5 (2), claiming that his conduct was contemptuous and he should be called to order. Bankole asked Deputy Chief Whip, Aminu  Waziri Tambuwal, to lead a motion on  the matter and Ogunewe was latter suspended.

Later that day, the Media and Public Affairs Committee Chairman, Rep.  Eseme Eyiboh (PDP, Akwa Ibom), said the House tempered justice with mercy for not suspending Ogunewe for the remaining part of the legislative year. After the suspension, Ogunewe was not allocated any committee either as a chairman, vice chairman or member but remained a mere floor member in the House. Thereafter, nothing was heard of them again  which led many observers to assume that they had given up on the struggle.

Unexpectedly, the issue of non- transmission of vacation letter by late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua came up early in the year, and again, Ogunewe and company jumped at the “opportunity” as they vehemently canvassed support for the declaration of then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan as acting president under the aegis of Nigeria First Forum (NFF), a pressure and lobby group they formed solely for that purpose.

During the intervening period, motion popped up seeking the then ailing President Yar’adua to transmit a vacation letter to the National Assembly in compliance with Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution so that Jonathan assume duties as acting president. The House rejected that motion, a development which confirmed earlier speculations that the MPs were divided on the issue.

In a tension-soaked plenary session marked by protests and near fisticuffs, the House declared that it had no power to compel  Yar’adua to transmit the letter. It instead, affirmed its resolution to abide by the ruling of the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Dan Abutu, that the vice president could not become acting president but could lawfully perform all the functions of president while the president was away.

Rep Independence Ogunewe from Imo State was one of the lawmakers who supported the motion, but he was disallowed from speaking. As he was pressing to be heard, another lawmaker, Rep Ado Doguwa  (ANPP, Kano) who caused Ogunuewe two weeks suspension again said the House might suspend him (Ogunewe) for arguing with Bankole. This infuriated Ogunewe. He rushed at Doguwa in a bid to hit him, but Doguwa ran from his seat. Ogunewe chased after him until Doguwa tripped and fell in the chamber, raising his hands and begging Ogunewe not to punch him.

Even before the demise of Yar’adua last month, the NFF of which Ogunewe is a prominent member have been pushing for the removal of Bankole as Speaker allegedly with the backing of Jonathan’s Presidency. On several occasions, the group had made spirited but unsuccessful efforts to table an impeachment motion on the floor of the House. Bankole moved in quickly to scuttle the move when he threatened to dissolve all standing committees of the House in March which made some members withdraw in fear of losing their chairmanship or membership of lucrative and juicy committees, but Ogunewe remained consistent.

 The frosty relationship climaxed Wednesday when the duo openly engaged each other in wars of words and physical fight. The brawl ensued when Bankole was returning to the chamber after receiving a delegation of agitators for the creation of Aba State from the present Abia State and encountered Ogunewe at the entrance to the House chamber where he told him  that he  was in his house the previous day but met Ogunewe’s wife. Ogunewe responded that, “If you met my wife it means that you were not invited to my house. Why then are you blackmailing me? What have I done to you?”

Bankole still insisted that he was in Ogunewe’s house to mend fences with him and bring to  end their long animosity. This apparently angered Rep. Ogunewe when he  replied angrily that Bankole was not welcomed in his house and said the Speaker  could only have gone to see his wife but not him.

Bankole however, ignored him and moved into the chamber but Rep. Ogunewe hissed saying,  “mad man ”,  which  angered Bankole who turned back  angrily and  allegedly threw a punch towards Ogunewe but was dragged back by Rep. Mohammed Ali Ndume (ANPP, Borno)  and Rep. Khadija  Bukar Abba Ibrahim ( ANPP, Yobe) who were closeby.

On Thursday however, the unending squabble between the leadership and those against it took a new dimension when towards the end of the legislative day, Speaker Bankole left the chamber for few minutes and on returning back he suddenly announced that, he has reshuffled some out of the 84 standing committees.

Those affected by the changes includes Chairman of the House Committee on Inter and Intra party Relations, Gbenga Oduwaiye (PDP Ogun),  Vice Chairman, Committee on Niger Delta Rep. Gbenga Onigbogi (PDP,) ,  Vice Chairman House Committee on Housing and Habitat,  Kayode Amusan  (PDP, Ogun) and Vice Chairman, House Committee on Anti Corruption,  Rep. Asita Honourable (PDP, Rivers), all of whom are anti-Bankole lawmakers.

Speaker Bankole also hinted that more changes  are underway when he said, “All other chairmen and deputy chairmen of Committees that are not announced will be announced soonest,” and did not did not give any reason for the changes. However, House spokesman, Rep. Eseme Eyiboh (PDP, Akwa Ibom) told Weekly Trust that the changes were made because the leadership noticed lopsidedness in committee composition contrary to federal character, non-performance by some committees and the need for  assessment.

What  will now follow is intense horse trading, lobbying, and scheming to outdo one another since  constitution or reconstitution of committees  is known to be a weapon in the hand of the leadership of the House to enforce compliance, especially in this  critical moment.  Recalcitrant members will foreclose their chances of committee chairmanship, while “loyal” members are rewarded and sustained by appointment to head “juicy” committees.

All eyes are on Bankole  as fear and anxiety grip members.