Troubled times for NASS, Executive relationship
By Sunday Oguntola 22 hours 31 minutes ago
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Things are definitely falling apart. The last one week has revealed a serious crack in the relationship between the presidency and lawmakers. Lawmakers have made pronouncements strong enough to rattle even the bravest President. The Presidency has hit back, accusing them of inciting Nigerians. When the executive accuses lawmakers of inciting citizens, there is no doubt things are no longer at ease. Yet, this is one battle President Goodluck Jonathan has been very careful to avoid. But his insistence on the removal of fuel subsidy has caught him at a wrong divide with the lawmakers.
It all started last Sunday. The House of Representatives, which has been characteristically vociferous, chose to hold a special emergency session. In the nation’s democratic experience, the move was as novel as unprecedented. Lawmakers are known to be hesitant to sacrifice their recess for anything. But the speed and excitement with which they accepted to convene on a Sunday alarmed the Presidency. There must be something untoward about the emergency session, many presidential aides felt.
This unease emanated from how the leadership of the lower chamber emerged. Like his predecessors, Jonathan was as interested as anxious in who leads the House. This is more so because the House of Representatives has always been indisposed to external influence. Former Speaker Ghali Na Abba gave President Olusegun Obasanjo so much headache to the point that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) made sure he never returned to the House. All efforts to pacify Na Abba to cooperate with the presidency met brick walls.
Jonathan also had a raw experience with former Speaker Dimeji Bankole during the succession crisis that resulted from former President Musa Yar’Adua’s illness. Bankole allegedly sided with the famed cabal that worked against the confirmation of Jonathan as acting president. Even after Yar’Adua died and Jonathan succeeded him, Bankole remained headstrong. Desperate to avoid a face-off, Jonathan managed him until last April. In the run-off to the hotly contested PDP’s Presidential primary, Bankole allegedly worked with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, at the expense of Jonathan.
Coming from this background, Jonathan became interested in Bankole’s successor. When the PDP South West caucus opted for Hon. Mulikat Akande- Adeola, the Presidency was elated. Akande-Adeola is a pro-establishment who can be easily relied on for support during crisis. With Obasanjo behind her, presidential aides exuded confidence her speakership will be a smooth sail. There will at least be someone that can call her to order for the presidency.
But this was not to be. Opposition members had another idea. They constitute a sizeable number that can pull weights in the House, they realised. So, they opted for Hon Aminu Tambuwwal, who thrashed Akande-Adeola despite presidential backing. That was an audacious message to the presidency. It was clear: The House of Representatives may not be controlled by the executives.
Tambuwwal, ever conscious of how he emerged, has been most eager to pacify opposition members. They head more committees than before and call shots. It was not unlikely he realised most of them are against removal of fuel subsidy and chose to play along. Last Sunday’s emergency session, it was gathered, held despite serious presidential pressure. Presidential aides were most desperate to prevent the sitting. Several overtures were made to the House leadership.
But most members were bent on the sitting. ‘’You see whenever we sense the presidency making agitated efforts to make us do something, we become alarmed. We resort to self-preservation tactics and become resolved to do exactly what they don’t want us to do, ‘’ Chairman of a House Committee, hinted last week. This was exactly what happened. The members had their way and the sitting held.
The sitting itself was a serious session. It was obvious members were boiling and desperate to have their way. They spoke without caring a hoot on how Nigerians are worse off with removal of fuel subsidy. Their constituents, they claimed, will have nothing to do with the deregulation policy until federal government restore the price of petrol to N65. This is the position of labour, which has shut down the nation with massive protests in the last one week. At the end, the House passed a resolution asking the federal government to suspend the policy and engage labour in dialogue.
The Speaker, in his remarks after the resolutions were adopted, noted that the decision of the House was taken in the best interest of the country. He said, ‘’I believe what we have done as members of the House of Representatives of Nigeria is in the best interest of this country.
‘’I believe that all of us as leaders, it is our collective responsibilities to ensure that our government, indeed our country, is governed through due process, respect for the rule of law that will promote and sustain fundamentally the harmonious and corporate existence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
I therefore implore all men of goodwill, either in government or outside the government to understand the position of the House of Representatives.’’
The Presidency was seething with anger. It considered the resolution as insulting. Presidential spokesman, Dr Reuben Abati, carpeted the House for playing to the gallery. The resolution, he insisted, was merely an opinion aimed at inciting Nigerians.
He said: “Well, I mean what the House of Reps has said is merely an opinion and in a Constitutional democracy, people have a right to hold debates or to discuss.
“But I think it is most unfortunate that a House of Representatives will hold a special meeting on a Sunday. To the best of my knowledge, that is the first time that will happen in contemporary Nigerian history, that a special meeting will be called on a Sunday just to debate an issue of deregulation.
“Of course, I followed the debate for the most part on television and the quality of the debate as well. I think the less we say anything about that, the better because I have cited the example of a member of the House misinforming Nigerians about the President’s movement.
“And of course you saw how one lawmaker after another had no basic facts. There was so much interest in grandstanding and I think that the entire exercise is more of a comment on some of the individual contributors to the discussion.
“That extraordinary session coming a day on the eve of an attempt by some people to disrupt law and order could be interpreted in some quarters as an attempt by the House of Representatives to incite the Nigerian people against the government and the last time I checked the lawmakers are also a part of this government.”
Almost immediately, the House responded to the grave allegations. Deputy Chairman House Committee on Media and Public Affairs Rep Victor Ogene, said the lawmakers were not bothered by the failure of the Presidency to accept their resolution.
The House, he said, will invoke its powers under the constitution to restore subsidy. According to him, “If dialogue fails, we will invoke our lawmaking and appropriation powers, in accordance with provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended, and put in money in the 2012 budget in tune with the wishes of most Nigerians.”
Ogene also dismissed the Abati’s allegation of inciting Nigerians as childish. He said, ‘’That statement was childish even though we don’t want to waste our time responding to everything; but I am sure the ad-hoc committees will have to look into it.” With this crossfire, there is no doubt the battle line is drawn.
Senators also,
Also on the people’s side, the senate convened a closed-door session on the contentious removal of fuel subsidy. It joined the House of Representatives in asking President Goodluck Jonathan to revert fuel pump price to N65 per litre. The senators urged the Senate President, Senator David Mark to convey the message of the upper chamber to President Jonathan within 24 hours.
With the Presidency bent on pushing the deregulation of the downstream oil sector through, the stage is set for a possible executive-lawmakers’ face-off. This time, it is difficult to imagine how intense it will be.

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