Wednesday’s plenary at the House of Representatives was not so smooth especially with the Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and his deputy, Hon. Idris Wase, openly clashed during plenary.
The two most senior officers of the Green Chamber openly talked back at each other to the consternation of other members of the House.
During plenary, Hon. Gbajabiamila had announced that the Order Paper for Thursday be made lighter to allow members attend the official Commissioning of the permanent site of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS).
The Speaker, before adjourning the plenary, had announced that the NILDS permanent site along Airport Road would be commissioned by 3.00pm, on Thursday, by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He had asked the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business to ensure that the Order Paper was not clouded with the day’s business so that the House could adjourn early enough for the event.
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But deputy Speaker Idris Wase promptly told his boss that the primary business of the House was lawmaking and other official businesses, adding that the commissioning of NILDS headquarters was not enough to adjourn the House.
Hon. Wase said members willing to attend the commissioning could do so while the business of the House should not be disrupted.
But the Speaker replied him thus, “DS, may be the importance of NILDS is not clear to you like it is to some of us. We are not adjourning the House for members to attend the commissioning. I said the order paper should be made lighter because I will attend the commissioning.
But Hon. Wase fired back saying, “Mr. Speaker, the House is not about ‘I’, but ‘us’ ”.
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It was observed that Hon. Gbajabiamila first ignored his deputy, made another announcement before returning to address him saying, “DS, I have been in this House like enough to know that this is the first time in the history of this House that a Deputy Speaker will openly oppose what the Speaker says.”
But turning to the Chairman of the Committee on Rules and Business, The Speaker said, “make the Order Paper light for tomorrow. This House will adjourn at 2.00pm”. Members present at the plenary chorused ‘Carried’.
Recall that the endorsement of Hon. Tajudeen Abbas as Speaker of the 10th House has created a sharp division between the Speaker and his Deputy.
Hon. Wase is said to have avoided attending the usual leadership meeting held before plenary everyday, while also shunning the Speaker’s procession to the Chamber.
He had openly accused the Speaker of backing Tajudeen for the Speakership position.