Reps set for showdown over move to reconvene House

The Peoples Democratic Party members in the House of Representatives and their All Progressives Congress colleagues are set for a showdown over alleged plan by the PDP caucus to reconvene the House next Tuesday.

Tambuwal and the others

Saturday PUNCH learnt that the PDP lawmakers’ plan jolted their APC counterparts many of whom had already travelled to their constituencies to prepare for the party’s primaries.

It was gathered that the APC leaders vowed to oppose the move with “every means possible.”

The Speaker, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, on Tuesday adjourned sitting in the House till December 3, 2014 shortly after he dumped the PDP for the APC.

On the other hand, the Senate adjourned to reconvene on November 4, 2014.

It was learnt that both the Presidency and the PDP national headquarters were displeased with Tambuwal’s defection.

A PDP source, who did not want his name mentioned, told Saturday PUNCH that the Presidency felt that Tambuwal adjourned sitting in the House to enable him to settle down in his new party, the APC.

But when the PDP caucus reportedly began making a move to reconvene sitting, the APC caucus described such as “a very big joke and laughable proposal.”

The House Minority Whip, Mr. Sampson Osagie, who confirmed the anger of the APC members, told Saturday PUNCH that the only authorised official to reconvene the House was Tambuwal.

He explained that even Tambuwal could not do it alone until he received the approval of the leadership of the House.

Osagie said, “It will amount to complete illegality for anybody to contemplate a thing like that. The House was properly adjourned by the Speaker on Tuesday; he is the only authority by our rules to reconvene the House.

“This will come after a meeting of all the party caucuses in the House.”

According to Osagie, the planned PDP caucus decision to resort to collecting signatures of members to reconvene the House is an illegality and totally against the House rules.

But PDP members dismissed Osagie. One of the members, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “This is a very simple and straightforward issue. It is like telling the whole world that if the Speaker is sick, and there is an emergency, we cannot reconvene the House.

“All that is required is to get 120 members to sign to reconvene the House. There is a Deputy Speaker who can preside over the House in the absence of the Speaker.”

Asked why it was necessary to reconvene the House barely one week after it adjourned till December 3, another senior PDP source replied that it was to “discuss the 2015 budget, Petroleum Industry Bill and of course, any other important matter that needs urgent attention.”

Ironically, the House gave preparation for the budget, PIB and party primaries as the reasons it earlier took the lengthy adjournment.

It was gathered that Tambuwal might be prevented from entering the National Assembly to preside over any session of the House as part of the wider plan to “effectively frustrate him.”

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Reps set for showdown over move to reconvene House