Reactions have continued to trail the decision of eleven All Peoples Congress (APC) members of the House of Representatives to drag the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara to court over the new House rules, but the leader of the group Aliyu Madaki has said that the lawsuit was instituted to protect the freedom of members.
Madaki, the member representing the Dala Federal Constituency of Kano state who spoke with the Daily Sun yesterday in his office at the National Assembly also said the Speaker failed to follow laid down procedure with regard to the introduction of the new rules.
“In the House, we have our rules book. What we are contesting in court is that the rules were changed and it is our belief that the way and manner the rules were changed, the procedures of changing the rules were not followed.
“Not only that, it is also our contention that some undemocratic things have been put into the new rules”.
In the summons written by the lawmakers’ lawyer Ahmed Bello Mahmud dated December 14, 2015, the 11 lawmakers, sought that the court declare the new Standing Orders null and void as well as unconstitutional as it contravenes the constitution.
Other lawmakers involved in the suit include: Mohammed Musa Soba (APC, Kaduna); Yusuf Bala Ikara (APC, Kaduna); Abubakar Lado Suleja (APC, Niger) and Lawal Yahaya Gumau (APC, Bauchi); Rotimi Agunsoye (APC, Lagos); Aminu Ibrahim Malle (APC, Taraba); Sunday Adepoju (APC, Oyo); Ahmed Babba Kaita (APC, Katsina); Philip Shuaibu (APC, Edo); Abubakar Chika Adamu (APC, Niger).
The House had on October 8, 2015 adopted the report of its ad-hoc committee to review the House Standing Orders, 2011, in which the speaker is vested with the powers to suspend any member that approaches the mace with whatever intent.
The new Standing Order also provides that the speaker can suspend a member for 30 plenary days for failing to obey the presiding officer’s directive for such a lawmaker to assume his seat during plenary.
When asked if he had exhausted all avenues through which the issues raised by his group could have been resolved within the House, Madaki who is one of the staunch supporters of the House Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the lawmakers involved in the suit considered the court to be their best option.
“If you recall, on the 8th of October when these rules were changed, I came through Point of Order, eight times, not once or twice, but eight times. I tried to draw the attention of the House that these rules we are trying to pass are undemocratic, they are also unconstitutional.
“This is because I believe that the constitution of Nigeria in Sections 36 and 39 gives me the freedom of expression, freedom of thought, freedom of religion and freedom of association and it is my firm belief that with these new rules that the House has adopted, those constitutional rights and the rights given me by the people of Dala Federal Constituency will be infringed upon” .
In an earlier reaction, Chairman House committee on Media and Publicity, Abdulrazak Namdas said it would be wrong to comment on a matter in Court.
He said, “Although I have not seen the court papers, but since the matter is in court, it will amount to contempt of court for me to say anything. All I can say is that the court should be allowed to do its work and determine the matter”.