•Lawmakers’s action illegal, he says
•’Baby factory’ operators in trouble
From Kemi Yesufu, Abuja and Charles Adegbite
The House of Representatives wielded the big stick yesterday, suspending the embattled former Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Abudulmumin Jibrin for 180 days, the equivalent of a legislative year, for misconduct and a breach of the collective privilege of the House. This is even as the lawmakers passed for a second reading a Bill for an Act to amend the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition Law Enforcement and Administration Act).
Jibrin, who by the suspension is not allowed anywhere near the National Assembly Complex, will not to hold any position in the Eighth House. His suspension comes after weeks of speculation and a bitter war of words between him and the leadership of the House.
Regardless, his suspension was subsequent to the adoption of the report by the Ossai Nicholas Ossai-led House Committee on Ethics and Privileges on the motion entitled: “Breach of Privileges of Federal Republic of Nigeria (the House), Breach of Privileges of Members of House Representatives, Breach of Practices, Precedents and Usages of the House of Representatives and Sundry Acts of Misconducts against the Members and Institution of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly are contrary to Sections 22 and 30 of Legislative (Powers and Privileges Act), sponsored by Emmanuel Oker-Jev (Benue-APC).
The motion which led to a rowdy session was referred to the committee last Wednesday (September 21) with the directive to submit its report within a week. It was no surprise that while pro-Dogara lawmakers mobilised to ensure that they were present in the Green Chambers yesterday, the remnants of the Transparency Group as well as the former chairman stayed away.
The House fell into pin-drop silence as soon as it dissolved from plenary to the Committee of the Whole to consider the committee’s report.
Ossai read out the recommendations of the committee to include that the House “reprimand Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, in accordance with Chapter 9(1) of the Code of Conduct for Members of the House of Representatives.
“That as provided in Order Six, Rule 1 (4) of the Standing Orders, and Chapter 9(2)of the Code of Conduct for Members of the House, the House by this resolution further regulates its procedure and accordingly suspends Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin for 180 Legislative sitting days in the first instance.
The report also recommended “Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin is required to tender a formal written apology to the House, prior to his future resumption of duties in the Lower Chamber.
“That in accordance with Chapter 9(3) of the Code of Conduct for Members of the House, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin should be barred from positions of responsibility in the House until the end of the Eighth Assembly”.
Deputy Speaker Yussuf Lasun, who chaired the Committee of the Whole, swiftly read out each of the four commendations which were unanimously carried by the House. Also when the House reverted to plenary and the report of the committee was put up for voting, the ayes had it with not a single nay.
Speaker Yakubu Dogara, who had left after presiding for the first part of plenary, returned to the Green Chambers just as the recommendations of the committee were being carried.
But spokesman of the Transparency Group, Abubakar Chika, said his members boycotted yesterday’s sitting as they had information that Jibrin would be suspended.
He described Jibrin’s suspension as an injustice to his Bebeji/Kiru federal constituency. This is even as he said the Ethics and Privileges Committee “conducted its investigation like a military tribunal”.
Lawmakers react:
However, other lawmakers who spoke with Daily Sun hailed the suspension. Timothy Golu (Plateau-PDP) said Jibrin’s punishment was commensurate with the offences he committed.
He said: “Abdulmumin deserves this punishment, he deserves the sanctions because he has been mischievously very stubborn. He has the opportunity to come and show remorse, he had the opportunity to come and apologise.”
Another lawmaker, Chike Okafor (Imo-APC) also commended the committee. “The House considered that motion. One of the prayers sought by the motion under privilege was for the matter to be referred to the Committee on Ethics and Privileges for consideration and what the House simply did today was to unanimously adopt all the prayers by Committee on Ethics on Privileges,” Okafor said.
Meanwhile, in his reaction, Jibrin said the investigation which resulted in his suspension was flawed. He declared his suspension illegal, even as he vowed not to apologise.
He statement reads in part: “The most important thing is that Nigerians saw the entire process, how the motion was passed and what transpired at the level of the ethics committee and entirely the process was flawed and for me, it’s a non-issue and complete nonsense and it is not going to stand anywhere in the world.
“As you are aware, the matter is a subject of litigation, I have instructed my lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) to file charges of contempt against Speaker Dogara and of course, the House of Representatives and I’m sure the matter will move over to the judiciary and a decision will be taken. I’m pretty sure it will be in my favour.
“Let me say, I will never, ever apologise to anybody in the House of Representatives, I did not commit any offence, I did not abuse my office. I have said it repeatedly that in the five years that I have served in the House of Representatives, I have never corruptly enriched myself,” he said.
Also reacting, right activist, Mr. Yinka Odumakin blamed Jubrin for failing to appear before the committee, which consequently led to his suspension.
Odumakin said, “It is wrong for him not to have appeared before the Committee on Ethics because he cannot be bigger than the House of which he is a member.
In another development, the House yesterday passed for a second reading a bill that would send ‘baby factory’ operators to 10 years in jail. It was sponsored by Enitan Badru (Lagos-APC).
The bill passed by the House seeks a minimum of a 10-year jail for a person who unlawfully takes, entices or harbours any pregnant woman out of the custody of her parents or guardians for the purpose of racketeering with such pregnancy or willingly sells of attempts to sell a baby.