Tag: lawmakers

  • Lawmakers Impeach Plateau House Of Assembly Speaker

    Lawmakers Impeach Plateau House Of Assembly Speaker

    The Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Nuhu Abok, has been impeached by eight members of the legislative arm of the government.

    The member representing Pengana Constituency, Yakubu Sanda, was named as the new Speaker.

    He was removed in the early hours of Thursday by the lawmakers from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) who were escorted into the chambers amidst tight security.

    Members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were, however, prevented from entering the Assembly complex.

    In the meantime, the House of Assembly premises and adjoining roads have been taken over by security personnel. The move is to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

  • Lawmakers are rejecting electronic voting for self-interest – Jega

    Lawmakers are rejecting electronic voting for self-interest – Jega

    Former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Attahiru Jega has stated that lawmakers kicking against electronic voting are doing so over their selfish interest.

    Jega in his speech at a lecture titled, ‘Politics, governance and leadership recruitment in 21st century democracy,’ organised by Kwara Visioners Network for Rural Development at the University of Ilorin on Saturday October 9, stated that from his own experience, one of the major ways in which the integrity of the electoral process is undermined is in the manual transmission of results from the polling units to ward, local and constituency levels.

    He maintained that refusal of the National Assembly to allow INEC to transmit election results electronically was tantamount to rejecting electronic voting.

    The former INEC Chairman said;

    “The National Assembly, after 2019 elections, promised to review the electoral legal framework which will improve the integrity of the electoral commission.

    “The most important issue that can add value to the integrity of elections they are jettisoning that because of self- interest. We have upscaled the integrity of the Nigerian electoral commission with incremental use of technology.

    “INEC, itself, said it can rarely use it in the 2023 elections. In fact, INEC has used it in some elections in parts of the country. It is a pilot scheme which all the stakeholders have been observing and said is good.

    “The next thing is to remove the major hindrance in the use of technology because there is a constitutional provision which says that electronic voting is prohibited. Many Nigerians who are in support of electronic voting are blaming INEC for saying it cannot use electronic voting. They have forgotten that there is a legal provision that says electronic voting is prohibited.

    “Now people are hoping that the National Assembly will remove that encumbrance, not necessarily for INEC to plunge into electronic voting in 2023 but for it to identify the best electronic voting system for the country. People are also saying that electronic transmission of results is easier to deploy. It is most cost-effective compared with the use of electronic voting.

    “So why not begin with the electronic transmission of results? On the one hand, the lawmakers said that INEC is permitted to do electronic voting provided it does not do electronic transmission of results. In fact, what they are saying is that they are not allowing INEC to do electronic voting because they do not want electronic transmission of results.

    “Unfortunately, the National Assembly is opposed to the use of electronic transmission of results. From my personal experience in INEC, one of the major ways in which the integrity of the electoral process is undermined is in the manual transmission of results from the polling units to ward, local and constituency levels.”

  • Crises Looms In Kogi Assembly As Lawmakers Boycotts Plenary

    Crises Looms In Kogi Assembly As Lawmakers Boycotts Plenary

    By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja

    There are strong indications that some aggrieved members of Kogi State House of Assembly may likely boycott subsequent sitting in the House.

    This according to findings may not be unconnected with the welfare of the assembly members since they came on board.

    Out of 25 members of the House, only 10 of them were present at Tuesday’s sitting, confirming that all is not well with the House as some members have even made up their mind not to attend sitting any longer if nothing is done about their welfare.

    Meanwhile, the Speaker, Prince Mathew Kolawole however, decried the attitude of some lawmakers who attends executive sessions without attending plenary sittings.

    The speaker who caution lawmakers found of doing so would be termed to be absent, however, moved a motion to take effect and it was seconded by the majority leader representing Ajaokuta State Constituency Bello Hassan Balogun.

    Citing relevant sessions of the house rules, the speaker noted that the motion so moved was to put to effect relevant sessions of the house rules.

    It was however gathered that some lawmakers who were absent at Tuesday plenary attended the executive session held at the speakers office.

    Meanwhile, a bill for a law to repeal and re-enact the Kogi State Hotel and Edict, 1995, establishing the Kogi State Hotels and Tourism Board and a bill for a law to establish Kogi State Erosion and Watershed Management agency have passed through second reading in the house.

  • Two APC lawmakers defect to PDP in Bauchi

    Two APC lawmakers defect to PDP in Bauchi

    the Spokesperson for the Speaker of the Assembly, Abdul Burra, on the outcome of the plenary late Wednesday and made available to journalists in Bauchi.

    The members are Yusuf Bako, representing Pali Constituency and Umar Yakubu, representing Udubo Constituency.

    He said that the decision of the members to quit the APC was contained in a letter which was read by the Speaker, Abubakar Suleiman during plenary.

    He said Yakubu, in his letter, said he dumped the APC as from 2nd March, 2021.

    He said, “According to him (the lawmaker), his decision to quit APC was based on the issues arising in the party at both state and national levels.

    “He pledged his continued commitment toward salvaging the plight of the citizen and contribute to the developmental goals of the present administration in Bauchi State.”

    Burra added that the Speaker also read the letter of Bako in which he notified the Assembly of his defection from the APC to the PDP.

    “Bako said his defection came after series of consultations with his constituents in which they decided that he should join political forces with PDP to ensure the success of the present administration considering the developments being brought to the state.

    “According to him, there is need for him to have a clear political direction in line with the demands of his people hence the reason of his movement to PDP,” he said.

     

  • Gbajabiamila commends lawmakers’ sacrifices, work as House winds down 2020 sittings

    Gbajabiamila commends lawmakers’ sacrifices, work as House winds down 2020 sittings

    …N13.5tn passed as 2021 budget

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, has commended the efforts of lawmakers in working assiduously to ensure that the country pulled through 2020, a year he described as trying and challenging.

    In an address to wind down the activities of the House for the year during a special plenary convened on Monday in Abuja, the Speaker cited the coronavirus pandemic as a phenomenon that altered all calculations in 2020 and put the capacities of nations to whither the storm to test.

    The session was convened to pass the 2021 Budget and close the activities of the House for the Christmas and New Year break.
    In the case of Nigeria, Gbajabiamila recalled how the House responded quickly to the pandemic by not only initiating legislative interventions but also giving necessary backing to Executive proposals aimed at taming the deadly virus.

    He cited the commitment of lawmakers to pass the 2021 budget of N13.5trillion to maintain the January-December budget cycle and make provisions for development, as one of such sacrifices.
    “Today, we have passed the budget in the House of Representatives in good time to maintain the January to December budget cycle in line with the commitments we made when we resumed office.

    “The January to December budget cycle is necessary to ensure effective implementation of our annual budgets to meet our nation’s development challenges. By our joint efforts and the grace of God, we will maintain this standard for every year we are in office, and leave a legacy for our successors to aspire to”, Gbajabiamila stated.

    On the coronavirus pandemic in particular, the Speaker said much as it took all by surprise, the House acted swiftly to save lives, while members also made personal sacrifices.

    Gbajabiamila explained, “Within the limits of our brutal realities, with our options limited by a scarcity of resources, by dilapidated infrastructure and outdated laws, we acted to slow the spread of the disease, to treat the sick, comfort the afflicted and provide for the most vulnerable of our nation’s citizens.

    “The truth is, we have done better than many believed was possible, better than many nations, even the most advanced. Our economy has taken a big hit, but through partnership with the private sector, government has been able to prevent the nightmare scenarios that some predicted.

    “Members of the House, together and individually, made financial contributions to support welfare provisions for citizens. There is virtually no constituency in the country that did not feel the impact of efforts by their representatives. I commend you all, and I thank you most sincerely.”

    He recalled how the House, in an “unprecedented single-day session”, passed the Emergency Economic Stimulus Bill to provide targeted economic relief in response to the emerging threat. 
    Gbajabiamila noted that though the bill did not become law, it later became the foundation on which the government rolled out many relief packages to cushion the harsh effects of the pandemic on Nigerians.

    He said, “That legislation never became law. Yet the bill’s specific objectives have been implemented through executive action to defer mortgages, remove duties on medical imports, provide salary relief and related financial support for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in the country.”

    The Speaker reeled out other major interventions by the House: “Despite an extraordinary torrent of misinformation and political mischief, the House moved forward with landmark legislation to reform our nation’s obsolete statutory framework for preventing and managing infectious diseases and pandemics so that we can be better prepared for the next time.

    “We worked with the Executive to address medical doctors and healthcare workers’ welfare demands and resolve a labour dispute that would have resulted in strike actions and walkouts with devastating consequences for too many of our citizens, amid a raging and deadly pandemic.

    “Because of the House of Representatives, “Hazard Allowance” became part of the medical and pandemic lexicon. The intervention by the House elevated the welfare of healthcare workers to a ministerial issue and saw to it that these hazard allowances were provided for and paid.”

    He gave special recognition to health workers and all frontline personnel, who risked their lives so that the majority of Nigerians survived 2020. 

    Gbajabiamila did not forget to mention the convening of the Conference of Speakers of African Parliaments, which he initiated as a broad collaboration to renegotiate the terms of the continent’s debts in order to free up much-needed resources for development.
    He also spoke on insecurity, recalling the recent killings in Zarbamari and the abduction of young boys seeking to improve their lives through education in Kankara, saying that both scary scenarios were indications that the legislature and the executive would continue to collaborate to secure the citizenry.
    While commending the efforts of the security agencies so far in tackling insecurity, Gbajabiamila promised that the House would provide more support in 2021.

    “The 9th House of Representatives will continue to address the security challenges that threaten our country. We have initiated and will continue efforts to reform the statutory framework for police accountability through the Police Service Commission (Reform) Bill, which has passed second reading.

    “We will continue to exercise our constitutional powers of oversight to demand more from the military and security services. Even as we make sure to provide the resources they need to train, equip and provide for the welfare of the men and women who bear arms on our nation’s behalf and in our name.

    “The responsibility of undoing the damage of many years has fallen to us. We have a lot of work to do. We are each called to lead our nation towards the promised land, to restore the dignity of every man, woman and child who swears allegiance to our constitution and salutes our nation’s flag.

    “We will improve Nigeria by building infrastructure that provides jobs, by protecting our people’s lives and property, and repairing the relationship between citizens and the state. This is what we must do to restore faith in Nigeria’s promise and prevent the risk of a destructive renegotiation of our nationhood”, he added.
    At the session, the House passed N13.5trillion as the country’s budget for 2021.

    The figure is up by N505bn from the original estimates of N13.08tn President Muhammadu Buhari laid before a joint session of the National Assembly on October 8.
    The House approved $40 as the crude oil benchmark for the budget.

    It approved N4.1tn for capital expenditure, N5.6tn for recurrent expenditure and N3.3tn for debt servicing.
    The sum of N496bn was also approved for statutory transfers by lawmakers on Monday.
    The House achieved the objective of keeping to the January-December budget cycle by passing the budget after spending slightly over two months at the legislature.

  • Ondo State Assembly lifts suspension order on four Lawmakers

    Ondo State Assembly lifts suspension order on four Lawmakers

    The Ondo State House of Assembly has lifted suspension order placed on four suspended lawmakers.

    The lawmakers are former Deputy Speaker, Iroju Ogundeji,  Favour Tomomewo, Adewinle Adewale Williams, Akinrindibo Leonard.

    They were suspended in the wake of the botched impeachment of the state Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi.

    An Ondo state High court had earlier quashed the suspension placed on the four lawmakers.

    But the leadership of the assembly refused to allow them access to the assembly complex .

  • Lawmakers weep over Katsina killings

    Lawmakers weep over Katsina killings

    Katsina State House of Assembly chamber was turned into a weeping arena on Tuesday over recent killings of over 30 villagers in Batsari Local Government Area of the state.

    Alhaji Jabiru Yau-yau, the member representing Batsari constituency raised the issue at plenary under matters of urgent public interest.

    The member representing Jibia constituency, Alhaji Mustapha Yusuf, opened the flood gate of tears while contributing to the motion and other members joined in, shedding tears over the killings.

    “This situation is frightening because we don’t know what can still happen in that place.

    “Many people were locked up and burnt to ashes. The villagers fled to various destinations because of fear of the unknown.

    “Haba, what kind of terrible thing is this; this is very unfortunate, how human lives were killed like animals,” Yusuf said amidst tears.

    Even members of the public who were at the assembly to observe the sitting, including some journalists covering the event also became emotional and joined in weeping over the situation.

    Yau-yau, who moved the emotion, had appealed to the state and Federal Governments to improve on security and provide relief materials to the people of Dankar and Tsanwa villages.

    He lamented that the people had fled their homes and those who returned had no food and no place to sleep because their houses were destroyed by the bandits.

    “While we appreciate the efforts of Gov. Aminu Masari, we want the Federal Government to also come to our aid,” he said.

    In his contribution, the member representing Danmusa, Aminu Garba urged communities  to support security agencies in identifying criminals around them for appropriate action.

    The perpetrators of the act are not pseudo humans, people should help in fishing them out, Garba said, and urged security operatives to intensify efforts to bring them to book.

    “We want Katsina stakeholders under Gov. Masari to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari because this is the most terrible crime that has ever occurred in the state.

    “The stakeholders and Mr President should look for a way to nip the situation in the bud,” he said.

    The Speaker, Alhaji Tasiu Musa and other members of the house unanimously resolved to send relief materials to the affected areas.

    Musa said that the house would set up a committee to meet with the governor and stakeholders to find solution to the insecurity problems in the state. (NAN)

  • Pound rises on signs pro-Brexit lawmakers softening demands of May

    Pound rises on signs pro-Brexit lawmakers softening demands of May

    Sterling gained on Monday on signs some pro-Brexit lawmakers were increasingly willing to compromise with Prime Minister Theresa May to increase the chances the British leader will get her Brexit deal through parliament next week.

    Media reports over the weekend also suggested London was softening its demands of the European Union in renegotiating parts of the Brexit withdrawal deal that is deeply unpopular within large parts of May’s own Conservative party.

    The Sunday Times said a group of Brexit-supporting lawmakers who previously rejected May’s deal had set out changes they want to see to her agreement in return for her support.

    The British parliament is set to vote on May’s deal next week. If it fails to pass, lawmakers will get to vote on whether to delay Brexit currently set for March 29.

    Hopes for a delay to Brexit and bets that no-deal Brexit is a far less likely outcome sent sterling surging last week.

    The British currency is up 3.7 per cent against the dollar so far in 2019 and 4.7 per cent versus the euro.

    “The nonetheless rising odds of PM May’s deal succeeding (albeit we still think it is a below 50 per cent probability event) are now helping GBP,” ING analysts said in a note.

    Sterling rose 0.4 per cent against the euro to 85.705 pence.

    While Brexit negotiations dominate the headlines, concerns about a slowdown in the British economy continue to build.

    Britain’s construction industry reported the first fall in activity in almost a year last month, with the IHS Markit and CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) falling to 49.5 in February from January’s reading of 50.6.