A member of the Like Minds Senators, Senator Hamma Misau has said the
crisis in the National Assembly was being masterminded from outside,
particularly by some politicians while also advising the sponsors of the
crisis to desist immediately.
Misau in a statement in Abuja yesterday advised those who want to use the
National Assembly as a ground for their war of political relevance and
control to allow the legislators to work and perform their constitutional
duty which they owe the electorate.
He added that Senators and House of Representatives members were not
elected for the purpose of fighting for leadership offices but to go and
pass legislations, motions, engage in debates and oversight functions
which will lead to improved standard of living for the people.
While chiding those who are using some senators and representatives to
create division and rancour in the National Assembly, Misau said ” they
should allow us to move on after the already concluded election of the
leaders so that we can face our job. In any election there must be winners
and losers and I don’t know when it becomes compulsory for the losers to
be given other positions before we can perform our constitutional duties”.
“When I heard my colleague, Kabiru Marafa, threatening fire and brimstone
saying that they will bring the roof of the National Assembly down if
their men who lost in the elections to select the leadership were not
accommodated, I knew he was not the one speaking. He was only a
mouth-piece for their sponsors. Why should the National Assembly be
grounded because some people failed in election into leadership positions?
When then Governor Rabiu Kwakwanso and former Vice President Atiku
Abubakar lost in the presidential primaries to then General Muhammadu
Buhari, did they insist they must get the Vice Presidential slot or other
positions? Let us stop all these threats and move on”, he said.
The Senator from Bauchi said those who are insisting that Hon. Femi
Gbajabiamila should be majority leader in the House of Representatives
should be ready to go for election because the explanation by Speaker
Yakubu Dogara on the need for federal character and equal representation
of all the geo-political zones in line with the constitution and House
rules were logical and realistic.
He however warned those who would rather follow the dictates of their
Godfathers instead of seeking to fulfil their election mandate that they
were only heating up the polity for no just cause and that history will
not forgive them.
” It is not the first time people will lose election and it will not be
the last time and the country remains bigger than any individual. I am
surprised that Senators and Representatives are following, without any
query, the dictates of some Godfathers who have no constitutional mandate
and in the process they are jeopardising their own responsibilities to
the people. Eventually, you are the one who will be judged base on your
performance by the people”, he said.
The Senator said the Likeminds group were privy to some sinister plots
being hatched by those sponsoring the crisis in the National Assembly and
that ” we will expose them in due course so that Nigerians can know the
type of people we are dealing with, despite their huge investment in
propaganda war”.