Amidst calls for the adoption of open ballot system in the election of presiding officers of the 9th National Assembly, two Lawmakers have said any attempt to change the House of Representatives’ Standing Orders in the 9th assembly election without due process will be an aberration that will set a wrong precedence, as it amounts to “shifting a goal post in the middle of a football match,” hence it should not even be contemplated.
Two lawmakers-elect, Reps Rimamnde Shawulu (PDP-Taraba) and Kehinde Agboola (PDP-Ekiti), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, on Sunday, that proponents of the open ballot election system, including some civil society organizations (CSOs) were misguided and ignorant about the process of electing the leadership of the national assembly.
Shawulu, who got re-elected in the Feb. 23 National Assembly polls, said: “Let them come from outside and amend the rules now. President Muhammadu Buhari said he could not assent to the Electoral Act because it was too close to the 2019 general elections. Now, we have some weeks to the election and you want to amend how leadership is elected. That is double standard; it doesn’t make sense.”
The lawmaker, who is the Chairman, House Committee on Army, however, said the rules would have to be amended at the lower chamber before anyone could talk about open ballot. “The rules are already set; any member, who wants the rules amended, can bring the motion to the floor of the house. And if it is passed, it becomes law but now, the rules of the house have been there since 2011. The same rules that led to the emergence of Aminu Tambuwal are the same rules that led to the emergence of Yakubu Dogara. So, there has been no reason to change it, but if anyone thinks it should be changed, he can bring the proposed amendment,” said Shawulu, representing Takum/Sons/Ussa/Special Area federal constituency. He pointed out that the rule, which was clearly written out, “is about secret ballot.”
Corroborating Shawulu’s remark, Agboola said adopting open ballot “will amount to shifting a goal post at the middle of a football match. We have never voted in the house on open ballot. So we will not take that; they can’t dictate to us. Unfortunately, some of the new members too do not even know how it works. When we were coming in, the standing order had already been produced for the 8th National Assembly. We have produced the one they will use.
“Anytime it is produced, there is no tension; so it is not bias. So, you cannot just change the rules because you want a particular candidate at all cost. If you are popular why are you afraid? Why didn’t they opt for Option A4 for the 2019 election? That means that you want to victimize the members; it means you want to impose a candidate on us. It cannot work,” he said.
According to the lawmaker who also got re-elected in the Feb 23, 2019 polls, under the Order 3 Rule F (1) of the standing order of the house: when two or more members-elect are nominated and seconded as speaker, the election shall be conducted as follows: one, by electronic voting; or two, voting by secret ballot which shall be conducted by the Clark and pebble.
“You will see the list of members-elect of the house who shall each be given a ballot paper to cast their vote with the proposer and seconder as tellers,” he added. He said the tellers were the people that would be at the venue as agents to take attendance of members, and give them ballot papers to cast their votes. So, you cannot now change it because you are backing a particular candidate. It is not possible,” Agboola insisted.
Explaining further, Agboola said if the number of contestants were more than two people, “and nobody is stepping down, the election will be conducted until the contestants are reduced to two so that the winner will emerge by 51 per cent.”
He said the election cannot be won by simple majority where the number of contestants was more than two. According to him, all the aspirants are currently engaging in behind-the-scene negotiations why one will have to step down for another considering regional, gender and religious factors. Agboola, who represents Ikole/Oye Federal Constituency, stated that “the order paper of the house incidentally takes effect from the day of the inauguration.
“And on the first day of the parliament, the order 2 stipulates people that can vote. When it is time for the election of the presiding officers, it is stated there that before any member-elect can take an oath, he will first of all vote after the accreditation,’’ he said. According to him, the Clark will first read out the proclamation letter from President Buhari for the inauguration of the 9th assembly.
“Everybody will sit down with his certificate of return. When everything has been certified, members-elect will be arranged in alphabetical order of states. And after the roll call, before the swearing-in, the Clark will preside over the election of the speaker and the deputy speaker. It is after you have finished with the election, before members-elect can be sworn in. So, if you have not been sworn in, you cannot even talk because no other motion shall be taken except after this,” he explained.
The issue of the national assembly leadership continues to divide lawmakers and sundry political groups following the decision by the ruling APC party to anoint Senator Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila as Senate President and House Speaker respectively. But the party’s decision has been the source of controversy and anger, with some lawmakers, including former Senate majority whip, Sen Ali Ndume openly defying the directive of the APC and vowing to contest the Senate presidency.
On Sunday, the Borno Concerned Group (BCG) dismissed as false, media reports purporting a leadership sharing deal between the PDP senate caucus and Senator Ali Ndume, describing it as “figment of a reckless imagination.” The BCG; an advocacy group supporting Ali Ndume’s Senate presidency ambition said it noted the deliberate falsehood orchestrated by faceless persons to cast the distinguished senator in the mold of anti-party man or anti-Buhari or both.
In a statement by its Spokesman, Alhaji Mohammed Shehu, the group faulted as a “a well-crafted but mischievous narrative” a report that Senator Danjuma Goje and Senator Ali Ndume were in talks with the PDP for and eventual Goje -Ekweremadu or Ndume-Ekweremadu senate presidential ticket.
“While we are not holding brief for Senator Goje, we state for the avoidance of doubt, that there was neither such meeting nor discussion with Senator Ndume. Our initial reaction was to simply ignore the report considering its factual errors and its failure to pass the basic principle of fair and unbiased journalism test. It did not consider it appropriate to hear the other side of the story assuming there was any. The report that the Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai had been sent by President Buhari to open talks with Senator Ndume is also another falsehood fabricated to insulate their preferred candidate from the necessary rigor of a popularity contest expected of an aspirant to the nation’s number three position.
“Mr. President and Governor El-Rufai are both democrats. And like many other democrats in the All Progressives Congress (APC) would never support imposition of any candidate on National Assembly under any guise but would rather allow for the emergence of a loyal and popular Speaker and Senate President within the parameter of party’s zoning arrangements. The BCG as a body would like to assure the public of our greatest respect for the media, given its role in our collective quest for good governance and constitutional democracy.
“We therefore called for caution so as not to be misled by unpopular but desperate politicians who would stop at nothing to drag the otherwise sacred leadership positions of National Assembly in murky political water,” the statement added.
