Reacting to the show of shame that rocked the House of Representatives on Thursday, June 25, political analysts have opined that President Muhammadu Buhari and The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Ahmed Bola Tinubu cannot force Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara to obey their orders.
One of such analysts Chxta of Greece who stated this via Twitter maintained that Nigerians cannot make progress from the exclusive legislative list that the APC is gunning for.
Dear Nigerians, any time you want to cry, take a look at the Exclusive Legislative List. Our country can NEVER make progress with that shit.
— Chxta of Greece (@Chxta) June 26, 2015
After the rowdy legislative session in the hallowed chamber of the Green House and Saraki’s announcement of principal officers contrary to the choice of the APC leadership, President Buhari stated that he expected the party lawmakers to toe the party’s line in the election of principal officers.
Buhari said through his spokesman Garba Shehu; “The party did a straw poll – an open and transparent one – which should have been respected. There is no confusion about anything.
“The party did a process, the President had wished that the party would take that to the very end but that didn’t happen.
“The President has a responsibility to the party; the President has a responsibility to the nation and as far as we are looking at the situation, it has not gotten out of control.
“It is still within manageable parameters; it is a little storm. We will overcome and Nigerians better get used to it,” he added while speaking on Channels Television.
Post Nigeria reported that the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun wrote a letter dated June 22, 2015, recommending some Senators to occupy the principal positions.
See: Saraki, Dogara, snub APC principal officers orders
The letter recommended Ahmad Lawan as Senate Leader; George Akume, Deputy Senate Leader; Olusola Adeyeye as Chief Whip; and Abu Ibrahim as Deputy Whip.
Senator Bukola Saraki, however defied his party’s proposal by approving the nomination of Senator Ali Ndume from Borno South Federal Constituency as Senate Majority Leader.
Senator Ibn Na’Allah representing Kebbi South Federal Constituency was also nominated as Deputy Majority Leader with Senator Olusola Adeyeye representing Osun Central Constituency of Osun State as Chief Whip.
In reaction, observers were of the opinion that the National Assembly crisis was as a result of the greedy nature of the Tinubu and the APC who wanted to hijack the leadership machinery of the House.
They maintained that Saraki and Dogara swore to uphold the sanctity of the Nigeria constitution above party or individual interest
On Thursday the APC National Secretary Mai Mala Buni issued a statement titled: “National Assembly crisis: We stand on our list of principal officers.”
The statement had read “the party stands by the list sent by the party to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“The National Caucus, Board of Trustees, BOT, and National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party will meet within the next few days to discuss the evolving developments in the National Assembly.”
Speaking on behalf of the President, Shehu insisted that “Politics, as its theory says, is basically about contest for interests and these interests may be fully defined by political party programme (while) some of these things may be outside political party programme.
“They just cannot file up in a single line and say ‘here we are, we are all present’.
“When the Governors met with the President, they told him that ‘we are the leaders in our states and we have influence over all of these Senators. They come from our places and from us and we can handle it.’”
Analysts have called on the Political actors to give peace a chance by allowing lawmakers to elect their representatives without interference from the presidency or political party.
See: NASS Leadership: APC insists on imposing Principal Officers