The Deputy Majority Leader, House of Representatives, Mr. Leo Ogor, has called for a peace meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and Peoples Democratic Party legislators in the House of Representatives, similar to the one the President had with the PDP senators.
In an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH, the lawmaker said such a deal would ensure a level-playing field and foster democratic governance.
He said, “It would be in the interest of the members also, based on the challenges that are there when it comes to primaries and other issues. I don’t think it is a bad idea; it is wonderful. It is even good for democracy.
“Experience matters in this business. It costs a lot of money to train members and it is wrong to train members and kick them out after their tenure. It is a fact that it is the responsibility of the electorate to vote for whoever will represent them; but there must be some checks and balances in the old projects, so that we can strengthen democracy. If some percentages of members will be given that opportunity, I think it will be quite encouraging.”
Ogor also dismissed calls for the resignation of the Speaker of the House, Aminu Tambuwal. He noted that the constitution was silent on the subject, and that Tambuwal could decide on his own whether or not to resign.
The lawmaker said, “It is his decision to do that (resign) if he wants to. It is purely a discretionary position. The 1999 Constitution, under the provision of Section 50 Subsection 1, is silent on that. It is a personal issue.
“The way I may handle the issue is quite different from the way another person might handle it. There is no provision that stipulates that he should resign but the issue borders on some level of morality, whatever he decides is clearly his responsibility.”
Ogor, who is a member of the PDP, further dismissed claims that the adjournment of plenary in the House till December was orchestrated to favour Tambuwal’s defection.
He cited the planned congresses of political parties as a critical reason for the recess, adding that the Appropriation Bill for 2015 may require the House to reconvene early.
“For both political parties, there were primaries that were scheduled and a host of other things. We all make mistakes and it is our core responsibility to address them where there may be opinions totally against whatever we have done; it is normal. I agree with the fact that it (the recess) delays the Appropriation Bill, but it has not also been submitted to the Senate.
“We believe that since the Appropriation Bill also has not been submitted to the Senate, it is another contentious subject matter. As soon as we get notice that the President is about to submit it and if, for any reason, he has to submit it before we resume, because it is an issue of national interest, the principal officers and political parties may need to look into it.
“On the basis of that, if we agree collectively, in conjunction with the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, we can reconvene and take the Appropriation Bill. It is not a document that will be kept waiting,” he said.
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Deputy House leader calls for Jonathan, Reps agreement
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