Nigeria Content Online

Something
rather strange happened on the floor of the House of Representatives
last Wednesday. Olufemi Gbajabiamila, the Action Congress leader
stirred the hornet’s nest when he accused the leadership of leading the
lower chamber to act against the opinion of Nigerians.

“One of the
problems of the leadership of this House today is that many members are
saying while Nigerians are going this way, the House is going the other
way,” the lawmaker said, as the debate on the constitution review
re-opened at the plenary session presided over by the deputy speaker,
Usman Nafada.

Mr Gbajabiamila’s
comment was sequel to his discovery that a clause, which had to do with
the appointment and removal of the chairman of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) in the report of the ad-hoc committee on
the review of the constitution, had been tampered with.

Although a member
of the ad-hoc committee, the lawmaker was not aware of the change made
because he was absent at the Kaduna and Makurdi retreats of the
committee where final touches were put on the report.

Expectedly, the comment generated anxiety in the House.

Some of his
colleagues, led by Halims Agoda and Bala Na’Allah, demanded an apology
from Mr Gbajabiamila as, according to them, he had ridiculed the
leadership. Some members shared Mr Gbajabiamila’s views, but others
merely booed; almost throwing the session into rowdiness. Mohammed Ali
Ndume, his ANPP counterpart, came to his rescue by apologizing on his
behalf; but members refused to accept it, threatening the Lagos
lawmaker with punishment.

Mr Gbajabiamila,
eventually withdrew the statement; but he insisted that he stood by it,
thereby causing more confusion and anger.

The legislator
seemed to have spoken the minds of many of his colleagues, however. A
trained lawyer, who represents Surulere federal constituency of Lagos
State, Mr Gbajabiamila ranks among the few lawmakers who speak
fearlessly and frankly on national issues as well as those concerning
the House. His contributions to debates on the floor of the House are
not only sound but convincing. He has demonstrated this in the last
three out of the seven years he has been a member of the lower chamber.

On some occasions,
the almost 48-year-old Mr Gbajabiamila is perceptibly belligerent and
combative – thereby lending to the suspicion that he is an activist of
sorts.

Interestingly, Mr
Gbajabiamila made his latest comment against the leadership at a time
the 360-member House was polarized over threats to sack the Speaker. A
day earlier, there was allegedly a plan by some members to remove the
Speaker from office over poor leadership style. Others also alleged
financial impropriety on the part of the young speaker. Although, there
was clearly anxiety over the plot, allegedly hatched by the Nigeria
First Forum (NFF), a pressure group in the House, no finger was raised
for a motion of no confidence on Mr Bankole and the leadership when the
House reconvened its plenary session on Tuesday after the Easter break.

Crack in leadership

The Forum, an
umbrella of lawmakers sympathetic to Goodluck Jonathan, had debunked
media reports that it was moving against Mr Bankole, largely perceived
as Umaru Yar’Adua’s acolyte. Even after three executive sessions in a
row where the development was reportedly discussed, members of the
group still claimed they never broached the subject of removal at its
meeting. They, however, confirmed that they were averse to the
Speaker’s leadership style, a view akin to that made by Mr Gbajabiamila.

Could the Lagos
lawmaker have spoken the mind of the group? Or was it a mere a
coincidence that he made his statement at the time the group members
were agitating?

Mr Gbajabiamila’s
direct attack may go beyond the issue of constitution review. He
attends meetings of the leaders and interact with them. Perhaps, he
could no longer stomach them. He is obviously in pains, but perhaps
because of the principle of collective responsibility, he cannot say
all he knows. But one thing is certain: this allegation is the
beginning of discomfort in the House and nobody can tell how it will
end until the tenure of this crop of lawmakers ends in June next year.