The Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara has been dragged to court over positions of principal officers of the lower House by members loyal to the All Progressives Congress leadership.
In the suit with file no, FHC/ABJ/CS/625/2015 before the Federal High Court, Abuja; two members of the House of Representatives, Rep Abubakar Lado Abdullahi (APC, Niger) and Rep. Olajide Abdul Jimoh (APC, Lagos) asked the court to grant an order restraining the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Deputy Speaker, Lasun Yusuf; Clerk of the House, Sani Muhammed Omolori from preventing the announcement of the list of principal officers forwarded by the APC to the Speaker as representatives of the party on the Body of Principal Officers of the House.
According to a copy of the originating summon served on the defendants last Thursday, July 16, 2015, the APC lawmakers asked the court to determine whether Section 14 of the Nigerian constitution (as amended) on federal character applies to the internal workings of the National Assembly and, in particular, the House of Representatives with respect to the appointment of principal officers and, in particular the positions of Majority Leader, Deputy Majority Leader, Majority Chief Whip, and Majority Deputy Chief Whip.
The new House of Representatives for over six weeks after it’s inauguration on June 9, 2015 has been engulfed in internal crisis among APC lawmakers on who should fill the four principal offices due to the APC.
In the fresh court case filed by the APC lawmakers they argued that since, “it is an indisputable fact that the positions in question are party positions, that is, principal offices of the APC, albeit that they concomitantly are also principal positions within the House of Representatives. Consequently, the 1st and 2nd Defendants (Speaker and Deputy Speaker) shall in accordance with Article 9.2 of APC constitution, which states, “members of the party shall be obligated to affirm the party’s aims and objectives”, implement the party’s aims as contained in the party’s nomination letter”.
The House has gone into a forceful break on June 24, 2015 after lawmakers engaged in a free-for-all on the floor over the refusal of the Speaker to read the party’s nomination letter.
In the nomination letter dated June 23, 2015, the APC had asked the Speaker to announce Femi Gbajabiamila (South West) as the House Leader; Alhassan Ado Doguwa (North West) as Deputy Leader; Mohammed Monguno (North East) as the House Whip; and Pally Iriase (South South) as the Deputy Chief Whip. But the North East and South-South later swapped positions.
It would be recalled that the speaker had indicated his interest to announce the APC principal officers when some APC young professionals visited his office on Tuesday, July 14, 2015. “We will announce the remaining four principal officers by the time we reconvene”, Dogara said.
Few days after his statement, the speaker also replied his party in a letter indicating his unwillingness to read the party’s nomination letter when the House reconvene and later proceed to inform the party of his intention to give effect to the principle of federal character and further zone the position of House Leader to the North West; Deputy House Leader to the North Central; House Whip to the South-South; Deputy House Whip to the South East.
The resumption of the House was shifted from Tuesday, July 21, 2015 to July 28, 2015, a move which sources in the House said was done to avert another chaos following inability of the two APC groups in the House to reach an agreement.