our reporters
THERE were signs yesterday that the crisis in the House of Representatives could escalate.
Some members issued Speaker Dimeji Bankole a seven-day deadline to resign.
But the House leadership stood by the Speaker, accusing the dissenting members of planning to destabilise the lower chamber. They have been reported to the security agencies, spokesman Eseme Eyiboh said.
The members, who tagged themselves as "Progressives", said they had resolved to force Bankole to resign to protect the House’s integrity.
Brandishing a voluminous document, which they claimed was a chronicle of Bankole’s corrupt deals since he became Speaker three years ago, the group threatened to release it to the media, security agencies and the Presidency – if Bankole fails to resign.
Their spokesperson, Dino Melaye, listed Bankole’s "sins" to include corrupt leadership; rift and disharmony between the House and the Senate; high-handedness and disrespect for members and frequent breaches of House rules.
Another allegation, according to Melaye, is making sweeping and unsubstantiated statements capable of causing disaffection among the various arms of government. He said the public perception of the House was dwindling, hence the need for a change in leadership.
Melaye said: "The House of Representatives that we read about in 1999, the House of Representatives that Hon. West Idahosa was a member of in 2000, the House of Representatives that Umar Ghali Na’Abba headed is not the same as the House of Representatives that we have today.
"The public perception of the House of Representatives has ingloriously declined. The perception of the House of Representatives, specifically under Hon. Dimeji Sabur Bankole, has nosedived.
"Therefore, we are asking Rt. Hon. Dimeji Bankole to resign immediately as the Speaker of the House of Representatives within seven days."
Melaye claimed that Bankole’s leadership style was responsible for the rift between the Senate and the House.
To him, the disharmony between the leadership of the Senate and the House has never been this bad, adding: "This disaffection can be traced to Bankole’s leadership style."
We are also asking him to resign because of his high-handedness and disrespect for members which are not just a breach but frequent breaches of the rules of the House."
"A simple example in this regard is when the Speaker accused civil servants of gross corruption and the then Head of Service, Ammal Pepple, wrote an official letter to the Speaker challenging him to substantiate his claim but the Speaker till date is yet to respond."
Stating that Bankole has brought the reputation, integrity and name of the House into disrepute, Melaye warned that the Speaker’s failure to comply with their call in the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians, especially the masses of the country, will leave them with no other alternative than to release reports of his alleged corrupt activities.
"We have overwhelming evidence and information, everything you see here (brandishing a voluminous document) is evidence and incriminating records that we will publish, give to you the media.
"And we are going to write petitions that every member you see here and even those that are on recess will sign and we will physically, personally deliver them to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), State Security Service (SSS), National Security Adviser, the Presidency, and indeed to the National Headquarters of his political party, the PDP," he threatened.
Insisting that "This is no child play," Melaye said, the group had resolved to "clean our house".
"We know that in the normal leadership style of Dimeji Bankole, tomorrow they will tell you that these documents are fake. Our challenge is that by the time we get them to you after the ultimatum, anything that has fake must have original. If it is fake, we challenge them to produce the original," Melaye said.
Another member of the group, West-Idahosa said Melaye captured the "very bitter feelings of members of the House of Representatives".
Hon. Independence Ogunewe, in response to a question, said: "We have been tolerating and accommodating things, believing that we can handle this matter but the cup of our forbearance has burst."
Eyiboh said the attention of the House has been drawn to the activities of some "self-styled progressives in the House misleading the perceptive public with their proverbial ostrich display of selfish tendencies in the guise of public interest. Their activities could best be a swan song from an orchestra of deception."
He asked the group to avail itself with the House rules and extant provisions of the relevant statutes in exercise of its rights.
Eyiboh said: "The present leadership is a creature and creation of the generality of the House and prevalent robust synergy, culminating in the successful constitution review and other legislative duties vindicate acceptability of the leadership.
"Those progressives, should vacate their theatre of the absurd."
Others at the briefing are: Chairman of Nigeria First Forum (NFF), Hon. Abbas Anas Adamu, Hon. Bitrus Kaze, Hon. Austin Nwachukwu, Hon. Solomon Ahwinawih, Hon. Asita Honourable Asita, Hon. George Dika, Hon.Ralph Okeke and Hon. Darlington Okereke.
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