Searching desperately for solution

(L-R) Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Mr. Tunji Egbetokun, Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel

For over three months, the Ogun State House of Assembly has been closed down because of a crisis among the lawmakers. FRANCIS FALOLA writes that the Peoples Democratic Party-controlled state is desperately in need of a solution to the imbroglio in the assembly and the party

Three months ago, precisely on September 7, 2010, the police authorities made a pronouncement that effectively brought legislative activities in the Ogun State House of Assembly to a halt. The decision was made to prevent a breakdown of law and order in the wake of the suspension of the then Speaker of the assembly, Mr. Tunji Egbetokun, and 15 other legislators by a group of nine lawmakers at an odd-hour meeting that took place at about 6.30 am at the assembly complex on September 6, 2010. This incident polarised the state’s house of assembly along the G-9 and G-16 lawmakers. The G-9, a group loyal to the Otunba Gbenga Daniel administration, immediately after sacking the G-16, approved and passed into law the controversial N100bn bond bill submitted by the state executive. The Egbetokun-led group, which cried foul, described the action of the G-9 as not only illegal, but “criminal.” The G-9, led by Soyemi Coker, remained unperturbed and at every opportunity, challenged the Egbetokun group to seek redress in a law court if it believed that the sacking of the group by the G-9 contravened the provisions of the constitution and the House Rules.

With this development, the nation – and indeed the state – is confronted with the propriety of the action taken by the G-9 as observers question the basis which a minority group displaced the majority. Several interpretations came to the fore on what ratio or number of the members of a house of assembly can take an acceptable decision. Both groups, in justifying their actions, lay claims to the Rules of the House and the constitution. As the affair persists, the assembly complex has remained shut to legislative activities and in the last three months, a segment of the tripod in a democratic governance – the legislative arm of government – remains inactive in the Gateway State. Many who thought the recent visit of President Goodluck Jonathan to the state would normalise the situation were disappointed as the President failed to make a public statement on the crisis rocking the state assembly. The much–needed intervention of the National Assembly by the Egbetokun group in a letter to the Senate and the House of Representatives on the implication of the crisis and its consequences on the nation’s democracy, also failed to achieve any result as the G-9 went to court to secure an injunction restraining the National Assembly from intervening.

The attitude of the lawmakers, especially the G-9 group, for a quick resolution of the crisis, has compounded the problem as they believed the assembly had, within the legislative session, had the minimum number of sittings prescribed by the rules and regulation governing state houses of assembly. While the assembly complex remains shut, the legislative business of the state suffers and the leading opposition party in the state, the Action Congress of Nigeria, has been vociferous in its attacks on the state government over the closure.

The ACN, which had earlier believed in a quick resolution of the crisis following the planned visit of the President to the state, was disappointed and came hard on Jonathan, describing the visit as more of a condolence visit to the state over the death of governance, following the three months’ closure of the assembly complex. The party described a government under a democratic setting as incomplete without the representatives of the people, the legislative arm of government.

The ACN, through its publicity secretary, Mr. Sola Lawal, blamed the Daniel-led administration for the closure of the house and observed that representative governance in the state had suffered “an untold set back.” The party condemned the Ogun State Government for supporting what it described as the undemocratic removal of the speaker (Egbetokun) and the suspension of the 15 lawmakers by a group of nine.

“It goes without saying that in the last three months that the house of assembly has been closed down, there has been no government in the state officially since the federal constitution under which any administration derives its authority makes clear the provision and roles of the legislature, which does not exist in Ogun State now.

“The House of Representatives, which earlier threatened to wield the big stick in the matter, has suddenly developed cold feet, while it flexes its muscle in comparatively less significant circumstances of dissolution of local government councils in Ekiti and Edo states,” the ACN had said.

But the state government, through the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Sina Kawonise, maintained that the closure was based on the directives of the Inspector-General of Police.

He had said, “For the house of assembly to be closed between September 6 and now is outside our jurisdiction as the place was locked based on the IG’s directive.

“Even when the house was said to be closed, the members of the legislative arm have been performing their legislative duties of oversight functions, constituency projects and the rest. The court had ruled in favour of the Soyemi Coker-led assembly and directed that the place should be opened to them for legislative business. So, the issue is in the hands of the IG now as I believe the police have been served accordingly.”

There is no doubt that besides the 2011 budget that the executive would have presented to the assembly for consideration, other legislative sittings or decisions that would have been taken by the lawmakers in the last three months have also suffered because of the crisis.

But as the forthcoming general elections inch closer, the PDP has seen the need for the resolution of the crisis and uniting all members to ensure victory for the party in 2011.

The plea made by Jonathan to the party’s major stakeholders, which include former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the state governor and the Minister of Commerce and Industries, Chief Jibril Martins Kuye, coupled with the wave of change blowing across the South-Western states (PDP’s loss of Ekiti and Osun to the opposition party through Court of Appeal judgements), have made the need for a quick resolution of the crisis in the interest of the party more imperative.

During a meeting at the Hilltop residence of Obasanjo in Abeokuta last Saturday, the former President, the governor and Kuye among others, deliberated on the crisis in the state chapter of the PDP for about three hours. The meeting, which was at the instance of the former President, was held to discuss the political differences and resolve the crisis in order to ensure peaceful primaries, as well as victory for the party in the forthcoming general elections.

The meeting had in attendance the aggrieved members of the party, which included some G-16 lawmakers led by Egbetokun.

A source told our correspondent that Obasanjo, in his opening remarks at the meeting, appealed to all party members to bury the hatchet in the interest of the party as the 2011 general elections approach.

“The former President, who all of us respect, advised us on the need to remain united in the interest of the party and the need for us to go into the forthcoming general election as one indivisible family,” the source stated. Obasanjo, it was gathered, advised all the warring parties to be frank during the deliberations and allow peace to reign in the party.

After an exhaustive deliberation, our correspondent gathered that an eight-man committee was set up under the chairmanship of Senator Ayodeji Otegbola, with the chairman of Remo North Local Government Area of Ogun State, Mr. John Obafemi, as the secretary.

The other members of the committee include a member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dave Salako; a PDP chief, Prince Wole Otenaike; a former secretary to the state government, Chief Sarafadeen Ishola, and the factional speakers of the assembly, Coker and Egbetokun.

The committee was given a term of reference to build an everlasting peace in the party in all its ramifications.

Daniel was reported to have said that he had forgiven everybody that had offended him and urged the party chiefs to forget the past and unite as one big PDP family, which it was known for before the crisis.

Those in attendance at the meeting included Senators Lekan Mustapha and Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, some members of the G-15 and G-11, and former local government chairman, Ijebu North, Alhaji Tele Ogunjobi.

Kawonise, who confirmed the meeting in a telephone interview with our correspondent, described the development as positive.

He said, “All major stakeholders in Ogun PDP attended the meeting. It was a positive move and the committee had been given the mandate to submit its interim report in one week. We believe this meeting will bring about enduring peace.”

As the state awaits the report of the committee, events in the next few days will show if the Obasanjo initiative has been able to restore normalcy not only to the state house of assembly, but to the PDP in the state.
SOURCE:http://www.punchng.com