Lawmakers Condemn Call for Interim Govt, Warn Aggrieved Parties to Desist from Heating Polity
•Urge security agencies to be vigilant
•Move to reduce cost of transporting petroleum products
Udora Orizu in Abuja
The House of Representatives yesterday condemned alleged plot by the political class to set aside the country’s constitution and put in place an interim government.
The Department of State Services (DSS) had last week disclosed that some persons with entrenched interest were planning to install an interim government in order to truncate the just concluded presidential election.
Reacting to the DSS claim, the main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described it as a covert plan by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and DSS to subvert the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.
At the plenary, lawmakers across party lines contributing and adopted a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by, Hon. Idem Unyime (PDP, AkwaIbom). They described the plot as unconstitutional and satanic.
While condemning in strong terms the call for an interim government, they mandated the security agencies to be on alert to forestall the possible breakdown of law and order.
The lawmakers warned aggrieved parties to desist from heating the polity and believe in the rule of law, while awaiting the outcome of litigation before the court of law.
Unyime had while moving the motion, said the House was aware that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, part 1, section 132, allows for change of leadership through the ballots.
He said the House was also aware that the constitution allows for a four-year tenure of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria after each election cycle.
The lawmaker noted that interim government was undemocratic, unconstitutional, and unknown “to our laws as a court of competent jurisdiction,” had in time past so declared.
He expressed concerns that if the plots were allowed to see the light of the day, “it will result in anarchy, with a price many generations after us will continue to pay for.”
He said, “Aware that the Judiciary is the only institution empowered by law to adjudicate over post-election matters. Concerned that some politicians have made comments that indicate their grievance over the last elections. If this development is left unchecked, we might be sliding into irredeemable anarchy.”
Contributing, Hon. Sergius Ogun, (Edo PDP) while frowning at the call for condemnation, opined that if government was alive to its responsibilities, “this should not even be an issue that will we will be dissipating energy on in the parliament.”
Ogun added: “I think the security agencies should do their work. If you are asking for a different government not known to law — it is treasonable felony. Year in, year out in this house we budget billions of naira to the office of the NSA and other security arms.
“Is it not a shame that the security agents would come out and say they have the names of people that have muted this type of government in this country you will not arrest and prosecute them
“You’re wasting our precious time telling us to condemn it. If this government is alive to its responsibilities this should not even be an issue that will we will be dissipating energy on in this house. People are dying every day in this country killed by bandits, killed by hunger. Go to hospitals people are not attended to.
“Children cannot even go to school. Do we even have a government in this country? If the government cannot perform between now and May 28, they should resign and go. Because this is not even an issue we should be discussing here. How can you wake up and tell us some people are debating interim government? It is a waste of time time for this parliament to even begin to discuss and debate a nonexistent issue.”
Also contributing, Hon. Ademorin Kuye (APC, Lagos) particularly frowned at the call by former President Olusegun Obasanjo for cancellation of the result collation.
He lamented that the alleged plot for interim government was so bad that politicians now sponsor protests at national assembly which he said leads to attack on parliamentarians.
On his part, Hon. Sada Soli (APC, Jigawa) said “this motion is timely, apt. The main function of the state services is to protect and defend the country from domestic threats within the country irrespective of the scope. Our committee on National security should have briefed us behind closed door, we shouldn’t have been talking about this here because it’s a national security issue. But since it has been brought on the floor, it’s timely because it affects Nigerians that we represent in this chamber.”
Another lawmaker, Hon. Abubakar Ahmad (APC, Gombe) was of the view that though they can’t conclude whether the action is treasonable, there’s light at the end of the tunnel with the resolutions of the motion.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives yesterday adopted a motion, seeking to reduce the cost of transporting petroleum products by dredging the petroleum products shipping channel in Nigerian coastlines.
Consequently, the lawmakers urged the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to urgently carry out holistic dredging of the petroleum products shipping channel in Nigerian coastlines.
They mandated the committees on Ports and Harbour and Petroleum Resources (Downstream) to ensure compliance and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.
Moving the motion, the sponsor, Sergius Ogun (PDP, Edo), said the federal government was planning to remove some cost line items on the existing Petroleum Motoring Spirit (PMS) pricing template, which would invariably increase the cost of petroleum products.
He said among the factors which account for the high cost of making petroleum products available to Nigerians was the poor or inadequate dredging of petroleum products shipping channels across the Nigerian coastline.
“Further aware that by the provisions of Section 7 of the Nigerian Ports Authority Act, the Nigerian Ports Authority is among other things, charged with the responsibility of ensuring the efficient management of port operations and the maintenance of all ports and territorial waters of Nigeria.
“Also aware that by the provisions of Section 7 of the Nigerian Ports Authority Act, the Nigerian Ports Authority must provide facilities for berthing, towing and moving of ships entering or leaving the ports or its approaches.
“Concerned that if the government goes ahead with its plans to remove some cost line items on the existing Petroleum Motoring Spirit (PMS) pricing template, the petroleum products marketers will have no choice but to increase its price which will result in a hike in the price of petroleum products and bring more hardship upon Nigerians,” the lawmaker said.
