Principal Officers: We complied with our rules, Reps tell Adamu

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

Some members of the House of Representatives have said the two Chambers of the National Assembly complied with their extant rules, in choosing the principal officers for the 10th Assembly.

The lawmakers stated this at a press briefing, in Abuja, while reacting to comments by the National chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu, faulting the emergence of the leadership of the majority caucus in the Senate and House.

Adamu had distanced the APC from the choice of the principal officers in both chambers.

However, a member representing Ideato Federal Constituency, Ikenga Ugochinyere, who spoke on behalf of the members, said Adamu’s stance is capable of causing disaffection in the parliament, as well as capable of sabotaging the existing harmonious working relationship between the legislature and the executive.

Ugochinyere explained that prior to the election of the principal officers, the members of the House, including those from the APC, had consulted widely with their respective political parties. He added that the House leadership met with the APC chairman in Keffi as part of the consultations.

He said “If you look at Order 7, Rule of, 4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 and 12, the House Standing Rules, it is very clear that members of the National Assembly both in the Senate and in House of Representatives shall freely elect or nominate from among themselves the majority leader, deputy majority leader, whip, deputy whip, the minority leader, deputy minority leader, minority whip and deputy minority whip.

“What is the import of this? The power to select, the power to nominate under the 2020 amended standing order of the House of Representatives rests squarely on the members of the different caucuses of the parliament whether majority or minority.

“It is on that note that I want to inform you that the selection of the leadership of the different caucuses of the House of Representatives was done by members of the National Assembly in accordance with the standing order.”

“That is why it was unwelcome to hear the party chairman, Abdullahi Adamu trying to disrespect the statutory decision of the National Assembly. It was unhealthy. It was unacceptable.”