ABUJA- All is not well with the ruling All Progressive Congress as aggrieved group under the aegis of Registered Trustees of Social Justice and Civil Rights Awareness Initiative, has challenged qualification of the party’s choice for Speakership of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, at an Abuja Federal High Court yesterday.
This effort is seen in political circles as increased attempt to scuttle the Party’s choices for leadership of both chambers (Senate and House of Reps) of the National Assembly.
The Hon. Yakubu Dogara group otherwise called the “Consolidation Group” of the House has earlier rejected the mock election of Hon. Gbajabiamila by the APC while Sen. Olusola Saraki’s “Like Minds” are routing for compulsory free and fair elections on the floor of the red chamber, to elect the Senate President.
Like the House’s Consolidation Group, the Hon. Dino Melaye led Like Minds has rejected nominations of Sen. Ahmed Lawan and Sen. George Akume for Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively.
Meanwhile, entrance into the NASS has shrank with a retinue of fierce looking joint security personnel keeping vigil, as they menacingly display their sniffer dogs and bomb detectors to filter persons through the first and second gates into the Assembly complex.
Today promises tighter security, as only accredited persons for the special event – 8th National Assembly Inauguration – would be allowed into the complex. Not even the conventional NASS Identification Card (Id Card) would do.
The accreditation was purely on presentation of the NASS Id Card and enlistment in the security screened register of regular staff and the media earlier forwarded for that purpose by various departments; and Certificate of Return issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for elected politicians.
Thereafter a special permit is issued the individual to enable him or her attend today’s inauguration. Those accredited in the process that ended yesterday (Monday, June 8, 2015), included Senators-elect, Reps-elect, National Assembly workers, journalists and special invitees to the inauguration.
A volunteer member of the security personnel who preferred anonymity explained that the measures were aimed at forestalling possible crisis during the event and to ensure that the premises was safe for President Buhari or his representative, incoming lawmakers, and other invitees to the event.
However, legal move to disqualify Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila from emerging as the Speaker of the House of Representatives failed before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court yesterday.
In a chamber ruling, Justice Abdul Kafarati, instead of restraining the House of Reps from accepting the nomination of Hon. Gbajabiamila as an aspirant for the office of the Speaker, directed the plaintiff to go and put the defendant on notice.
Justice Kafarati ordered the service of all the relevant court processes on Gbajabiamila to enable him to appear in court on June 18 to show cause why he should not be disqualified from holding the Speakership position following his alleged conviction by the Supreme Court of Georgia in 2007.
In the suit filed before Justice Abdul Kafarati, pursuant to Order 26 Rule 8 of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules, 2009, contended that Hon. Gbajabiamila is not morally fit to head the third arm of governance in Nigeria, having been previously ”convicted in the state of Georgia for unethical practices and was debarred as a lawyer for 36 months”.
Joined as defendant in the ex-parte motion that is being argued on behalf of the group by Human Rights lawyer, Chief Mike Ozehkome (SAN), are the House of Representatives and the Attorney General of the Federation.
In a supporting affidavit that was deposed to by one Alojie Nmerengira, the plaintiff told the court that its investigations revealed that Gbajabiamila was convicted by the Supreme Court of Georgia in 2007, even as it attached a copy of the order of the court as ‘Exhibit A’.
Nmerengira averred: “That I am the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the plaintiff organization by virtue of which I am very conversant with the facts deposed herein.
“That the 1st defendant is a member of the House of Representatives who nurses the ambition of becoming the Speaker of the House in the next Assembly. That the 2nd defendant is the constitution body created to carry out legislative functions for the good governance and advancement of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“That the 3rd defendant is the Chief Law Officer of the Federation that ensures the sue enforcement of our Laws so that the nation does not fall into the pit of lawlessness.
“That as a sensible and responsible organisation, my board deemed it proper that to achieve the objective of the organisation, that we should intervene in public interest litigation in deserving situations.
“That few days ago it came to the public domain that the 1st defendant was a leading candidate to the position of the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“That my organisation, following the wind of change that has pervaded the political environment in Nigeria, deemed it proper to carry out a background check on the leading candidates for the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“That I discovered that the 1st defendant was a lawyer and practiced in the United States of America, particularly in the state of Georgia.
“That upon further enquiry, I discovered that the 1st defendant was convicted in the state of Georgia for unethical practices and was debarred for 36 months. A copy of the order of the Supreme Court of Georgia to that effect is hereby attached and marked ‘Exhibit A’”.
