The Nation Newspaper

Tag: assembly

  • Suspended Kogi Assembly sacks two members

    Barely 24 hours after the National Assembly suspended legislative activities in the Kogi State House of Assembly, the lawmakers yesterday suspended two of its members for alleged defection to another party.

    Henry Ojuola and Funsho Daniel, from Mopa Muro and Yagba East, were “suspended” following a petition the Assembly reportedly received from the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

    The Assembly declared their positions vacant for leaving the party on which platform they won elections into the House.

    The “new Speaker” Lawal Jimoh said about two months ago, the ANPP informed the former leadership of the Assembly about the alleged defection.

    The House of Representatives’ Ad-Hoc Committee on the Assembly crisis on Monday suspended the Assembly’s activities till further notice.

    Jimoh explained that in a letter by Patrick Daudu and Issac Ainoko, Chairman and Secretary, the ANPP listed the reasons the two seats should be declared vacant.

    These are contained in Section 109(1)(g) of the Constitution.

    The letter said: “The fact that there was no record of division or merger with the parties shows that the members under reference chose to belong under the provision of Section 109(109)(g) of the Constitution.”

    Ojuola was elected on the platform of the ANPP but was the running mate in last year’s governorship election under the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). Daniel was elected on the platform of the ANPP but defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in September.

    A three- man Ad-Hoc Committee was constituted to investigate the ANPP petition.

    Tuesday’s session was held in the presence of the Clerk of the Assembly as well as the Sergeant-at-Arms.

    The lawmakers condemned the Police Commissioner Musa Katsina for allegedly sealing off the Assembly premises.

    They vowed to lodge a complaint at the Office of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Muhammed Abubakar.

    Katsina had warned that he should not be dragged into the crises because he only tightened security to forestall a breakdown of law and order.

     

  • Court hears appeal on Edo Assembly seat

    The Court of Appeal sitting in Benin, the Edo State capital, yesterday began hearing the appeal filed by Anselm Agbabi.

    Agbabi is challenging the guard Mr. Kabiru Adjoto as the Action Congress of Nigeria’s (ACN’s) standard bearer in the 2011 House of Assembly election.

    Adjoto represents Akoko-Edo State Constituency 1.

    Justice Adamu Hobon of the Federal High Court in April declared Adjoto the party’s standard bearer.

    Justice Hobon said the party violated the Electoral Act by substituting Adjoto’s name with that of Agbabi, who was the runner-up in the ACN primaries held in January, 2011.

    When the matter came up for hearing yesterday, Adjoto’s counsel Nosa Osifo drew the court’s attention to a letter signed by the ACN State Secretary, Chief Osaro Idah, dissociating the party from the suit.

    The letter, dated May 23, 2012, said ACN was not a party to the appeal.

    It reads: “It should be taken as impersonation, if any lawyer is purported to have been briefed by the ACN. Adjoto remains the elected member for Akoko-Edo Constituency 1.”

    Osifo alleged that the signatories were different.

    But Agbabi’s counsel Ken Mozia said there was another letter signed by Idah on October 15 instructing his firm to represent the party in the suit.

    Justice George Shoremi warned Osifo not to interfere in the letters and said the ACN should state its withdrawal in an application.

    When contacted about the party’s stand on the case, ACN State Organising Secretary Frank Airewele said the party was not interested in the case.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Lagos Assembly wants better NYSC Camp  

    Lagos Assembly wants better NYSC Camp  

    LAGOS State House of Assembly has appealed to the state government to urgently build a befitting National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp.

    The Chairman, House Committee on House Services and Special Duties, Hon. Ipoola Omisore, made the call when he led the committee members on a visit to the Ministry of Special Duties as part of its oversight function.

    Omisore, who said said that the NYSC orientation camp was nothing to write home about if compared to other others, argued it behoves a mega city to have a befitting NYSC orientation camp.

    He said it would be a misplaced priority if the government leaves the camp in such a bad shape.

    According to him: “We must do what is expected of us and we must rise up to our responsibilities.

    “When it comes to the issue of Corps members, Lagos has the highest chunk and people must be adequately catered for without fear or favour.

    “But it is sad that out of all the South-West states, Lagos State has the poorest NYSC camp.”

    Responding, the Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr. Wale Ahmed, said the state has been working tirelessly to ensure there is a befitting NYSC orientation camp.

    He assured the project will materialise soonest.

     

  • ‘Assembly resolution on N5000 note not binding on Fed Govt’

    ‘Assembly resolution on N5000 note not binding on Fed Govt’

    The government is not bound by Tuesday’s resolution of the Senate and the House of Representatives asking Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi not to print the proposed N5000 banknote. Minister of Information Labaran Maku has said.

    The Minister spoke on Tuesday night at the national secretariat of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ). He was a guest at a an interactive programme, the People’s Forum.

    Maku dismissed the debate and controversy over the proposed bank note as unnecessary, saying that the powers vested in the CBN by law on monetary policies remained sacrosanct.

    “I believe we should allow the CBN to take leadership initiative on this issue. This is not an opinion poll debate but a technical matter and the heated debate will not help in the management of our economy,” the minister maintained.

    He added that while the Federal Government had not foreclosed dialogue with the federal lawmakers on the policy, the erroneous impression should not be created that the resolution by the parliament is in any way binding on the Federal Government.

    He said: “The National Assembly has oversight functions and the Executive takes resolutions of the National Assembly seriously. But resolutions are not Acts of Parliament.

    “We can discuss, debate resolutions, take them seriously and factor them but they are not Acts of the National Assembly.”

    The minister also restated the position of the Federal Government on the issue of Bakassi Peninsula, which was ceded to Cameroun by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), saying that that the case is closed.

    According to him, the Federal Government does not have any fresh facts or a new position on the ICJ ruling on Bakassi and called on the public to be more diplomatic in making demands on the Bakassi. He urged agitators to be mindful of the need for good neighbourliness between Nigeria and Cameroun.

    “Nigeria does not have a new position. Nigeria’s position is in conformity with the judgment of the International Court of Justice,” Maku said.