Abdullahi Adamu, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been berated over his comment on the nomination of principal officers in the National Assembly.
House of Representatives members on Sunday lambasted Adamu, saying that what he has done is an attempt to sabotage that harmonious working relationship that is aimed at delivering on parliamentary goals.
Ikenga Ugochinyere, the deputy chairman, House Ad-hoc Committee on Media and Publicity, while speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, said Adamu’s comment is aimed at creating a crisis between the executive and legislative arms of governmnet.
According to him, the principal officers were elected in accordance with the standing rules of the House, which mandates the majority and minority caucuses to select their leaders from amongst themselves.
Ugochinyere added that before the election of the principal officers, the members of the House, including those from the APC, had consulted widely with their respective political parties.
He said: “If you look at Order 7, Rule of 4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 and 12, the House Standing Rules, it is very clear that members of the National Assembly both in the Senate and in House of Representatives shall freely elect or nominate from among themselves the majority leader, deputy majority leader, whip, deputy whip, the minority leader, deputy minority leader, minority whip and deputy minority whip.
“And if you go to order 7 rule 12, it lays emphasis that even to change these leaders, when nominated, that you will require, after due notice to the leadership, a simple majority among the members to remove them.
“What is the import of this? The power to select, the power to nominate under the 2020 amended standing order of the House of Representatives rests squarely on the members of the different caucuses of the parliament whether majority or minority.
“It is on that note that I want to inform you that the selection of the leadership of the different caucuses of the House of Representatives was done by members of the National Assembly in accordance with the standing order.
“Politically also, consultations were extensively carried out by the PDP, LP, NNPP up to the APC. I remember the leadership visited Keffi to meet with the national chairman in furtherance of that consultation to be able to carry everybody along.
“That is why it is unwelcome to hear the party chairman, Abdullahi Adamu trying to disrespect the statutory decision of the National Assembly. It is unhealthy. It is unacceptable.
“And it is important to understand that prior to the election of the principal officers both at the Senate and the House of Representatives, members of the parliament across political parties met with the President and agreed on a harmonious working relationship that will not jeopardize the independence of the parliament.
“While we agree that the independence of the National Assembly will be respected by the President, and lawmakers are going to work with the President in delivering people centred and executive agenda,
“What the national chairman has done is an attempt to sabotage that harmonious working relationship that is aimed at delivering on parliamentary goals. And creating internal rumble and disunity that will not allow us to have smooth working relationship. And that is unacceptable. The members of APC should call their chairman to order,” he said.
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