Developments at the National Assembly, last Thursday, November 20, bore signs of anarchy and gradual slide to civilian autocracy, Assistant Editor (North), CHUKS EHIRIM, argues.
Events at the National Assembly, last Thursday, could be likened to a state of anarchy, in a way. It marked a new dimension in the consuming feud that had ensued between the presidency and Speaker of House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal.
Though the new development came to traumatised Nigerians as a surprise, it was in line with the rat race that had been in place since Tambuwal’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), before the adjournment of the House, last month.
The speaker’s defection also marked the height of crisis of confidence that had characterised his relations with the presidency since his election as the speaker, against the preferred choice of PDP, Mulikat Akande, in 2011.
Many, however, saw the Thursday show of shame as tilting towards anarchy. The bizarre occurrence, somehow, began to take shape shortly after the adjournment of the House, when the police and state security service, withdrew security personnel attached to the Speaker.
But on the issue at hand, Tambuwal, who had adjourned the House till December 3, had agreed with his colleagues to reconvene that Thursday, for considering a letter from President Goodluck Jonathan on the need for extension of emergency rule in the three North East states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
The lawmakers, however, met a brick wall in the detachment of policemen, armed to the teeth, who were said to have been drafted there by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), to prevent Tambuwal and his colleagues from gaining entry into the parliament.
But the House members refused to be cowed by the presence of the law enforcement agents. While Tambuwal, his aides and some of his colleagues exploited the opportunity of a smaller gate behind, to force themselves into the premises of the National Assembly, others in greater number, scaled the high fence in defiance of the police barricade to make it into the chamber.
But not done with trying to prevent the lawmakers from entering into their parliament, the security agents went a step further, in their open declaration of “war”, to haul tear gas canisters at them. That too did not deter Tambuwal and his men from getting to the chambers where they briefly considered and rejected President Jonathan’s proposal for extension of emergency rule in the three affected states. They also commenced collation of signatures for the impeachment of the president.
While the police targeted their raw deal at Tambuwal, who recently defected from the PDP to the opposition APC, the same treatment was not meted to the president of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly, David Mark, who condemned the use of tear gas on senators and members of the House of Representatives by the police, describing the action as “barbaric”.
Senator Mark also ordered the immediate suspension of plenary session in both chambers of the National Assembly. He also directed that the NASS Complex be shut till Tuesday, Novermber 25.
An embarrassed Senator Mark, who had rushed out to the House of Representatives chamber, ostensibly to address the situation on hearing the development, was thoroughly tear-gassed along with his colleagues while returning to his office after conferring with Tambuwal and his deputy, Emeka Ihedioha.
After a brief meeting with principal officers of the National Assembly, Mark said: “After due consultation with my colleagues in both chambers of the National Assembly on this ugly development, we have therefore agreed that today’s session be suspended forthwith.”
He condemned the application of maximum force on parliamentarians and civil servants who were in their respective offices to do their duties. But his presence in the House of Representatives chamber had infuriated some members who questioned his reason for coming. They suspected that he must have colluded with the presidency on the anti-Tambuwal war.
Several Nigerians have condemned the police siege on the parliamentarians. One of such condemnations came from former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who described the incident as indicative of arrogance and incompetence of the PDP-led government, which he said has lost the meaning of good governance.
He argued that the “siege mentality” of the Jonathan administration poses grave threats to Nigeria’s democracy, the rule of law and the separation of powers as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution as amended.
Atiku added that the crude display of power by the president and his agents portends ominous signals for the future of Nigeria’s democracy, alleging that the sordid display did not come to critics as a surprise, as President Jonathan did not participate in the costly struggle that brought about the current democratic dispensation.
The former vice president observed that abuse of power by using state agents to harass, intimidate and humiliate perceived opponents by the president was not only capable of heating the polity on frightening scale, but also carried the risks of polarising and politicising security operatives in the country.
He reminded the president that he was elected to uphold the constitution of the country, and not to use power arbitrarily against political opponents.
Reacting also to the event, the APC accused Jonathan of sabotaging his own administration’s war against Boko Haram on the altar of personal vindictiveness and political desperation, describing such as an action that is unbecoming of a self-respecting national leader.
In a statement issued in Abuja same day by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party said just because he was so desperate to oust Tambuwal as the Speaker of House of Representatives, Jonathan ensured that the House could not meet as scheduled on Thursday to consider his request for an extension of the State of Emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.
“For a president, who has severally stated his administration’s commitment to the battle against the insurgency in the North East, is it not a cruel irony that he allowed his personal ego and political desperation to override his sense of propriety, by moving to have Tambuwal removed, instead of having the House of Representatives sit to consider his request?” it asked.
APC said because of his meddlesomeness in the affairs of another arm of government, and also his blatant disregard for a court order that the status quo be maintained on the issue of the defection of the speaker to the APC, the president on Thursday suffered a moral and political defeat that will haunt him for a long time to come.
“The plot was simple: the presidency decided to use the reconvening of the House as an opportunity to remove the speaker. While Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha was accorded a presidential ride into the premises of the National Assembly, House Speaker Tambuwal was barred from entry by the hordes of security agents who have been deployed solely for that purpose.
“Their plan was to ensure that, with Tambuwal locked out, Ihedioha would preside over the reconvened House and the speaker would then be removed. The consideration of the request to extend the State of Emergency was not important to the presidency. The fate of Nigerians who are suffering from the insurgency, which has displaced 1.5 million people, does not bother the presidency. All it wanted is to remove Tambuwal,” the party alleged.
Former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Tsav, also condemned the action, describing it as creeping tendency to autocracy. He blamed the police for allowing themselves to be used in the war against the National Assembly. He also lent voice to the clamour by some for the impeachment of Jonathan.
He said: “The use of the police against the opposition will definitely break up Nigeria and usher in anarchy. No one knows who will escape. The show of shame exhibited at the National Assembly is not only disgraceful and shameful but shows immaturity and intolerance by the PDP government of Nigeria.
“By law, Aminu Tambuwal is still the Speaker of the House of Representatives. He only defected to APC, but has not been removed by the House. No one, therefore, has the right to stop him from entering and presiding over proceedings in the House. The Nigeria police are being used as thugs to breach the laws of Nigeria. It is an act of disrespect to national institution to tear-gas members of the National Assembly. It is beastly and a compound shame indeed.
“The time to impeach Jonathan is now in order to save our democracy. Delay may be disastrous. Are police laws only binding on the opposition?” The presidency and the police reacted differently to the incident. Although presidential aide, Doyin Okupe, described the incident as ‘unfortunate’, he however said that ‘assumption’ that Abba acted on instruction from the President was incorrect. On their part, the police defended their action, claiming they had the report that hoodlums were planning to invade the National Assemply.
What took place last Thursday at the National Assembly was like a reminder of the feud between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former president of the Senate, Dr. Wilberforce Chuba Okadigbo, who, at a point, allegedly took the mace, the symbol of authority at the Senate, to his home town, Ogbunike, in Anambra State. Whether this latest war of the executive against the parliament in Nigeria’s democratic dispensation will get that messier remains to be seen.
