The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has described fresh comments by the political adviser to the President, Ahmed Gulak on the National Assembly as that of an interloping trouble maker.
Smarting from an earlier brush off with the National Assembly, Gulak, in an published interview, last Friday said the National Assembly should be blamed for poor budget implementation, accusing the institution of late passage of Appropriation Act, among other spurious allegations. He also claims that the Deputy President of the Senate said that most National Assembly Members were illiterates.
Reacting through his Special Adviser on Political Adviser Matters to the Deputy President of the Senate, Hon. Okey Ozoani, Ekweremadu while expressing displeasure at the “thoughtless and disparaging statements” stressed that “Mr. Gulak who has found pleasure in courting trouble for the Presidency by his reckless statements on not just the National Assembly and its officers, but also respected elder statesmen of the Federal Republic, is not surprising.”
He continued “while the Deputy President of the Senate would not want to join issues with Gulak, it is imperative for the Presidential Adviser to know the limits of his importance-seeking, fawning, and trouble-courting fits.
“First, it is unfortunate that Gulak is quick to point out when the 2012 national budget was passed without also stating when it was submitted to the National Assembly. The 2012 Appropriation Act was submitted in December 2011 and passed by the National Assembly in March 2012. Gulak’s claim that enough work goes into the Appropriation Bills before submission to the National Assembly does not in any way preclude the parliament as co-managers of the economy from subjecting such budget estimates to legislative scrutiny and due process.
“It is also gratifying that the President had taken into account the observations of the National Assembly on the need for early submission of budget estimates by submitting the 2013 Appropriation Bill earlier this time, in this month of October.
“However, if Gulak’s understanding of the role of the legislature in a democracy in relation to appropriation and if how he manned the Adamawa State House of Assembly as the Speaker was to rubber-stamp everything brought by the executive, he should wake up to the realities at the federal level as things are done differently because the National Assembly is not a rubber stamp.
“Second, his claims that the Deputy President of the Senate said that most National Assembly Members were illiterates is no less spurious and insulting. To put matters straight, the Deputy President of the Senate, while speaking on the topic “The Political Ideology of the Great Zik of Africa and Challenges of Leadership in Nigeria” at the 2nd Zik Annual Lecture Series organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Awka stressed that the 21st century Nigeria needed knowledgeable leadership at all levels that could effectively drive development and realize the lofty dreams of the nation’s founding fathers.
“While the Deputy President of Senate does not see anything wrong with stressing the need for knowledge-driven leadership at all levels and arms of government such as exhibited by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, for Mr. Gulak to denigrate the National Assembly or use the very clear and innocuous observations by the Senate President on the need for better representation by some parts of South East at the National Assembly as a cover up for his well publicised and unrepentant insults and disdain towards the National Assembly is considered highly improper, sweeping, disparaging, and mischievous.
“Instructively, even the said publications Gulak referred to made it clear that, on the National Assembly, Senator Ekweremadu strictly spoke about the South East, and in fact two states, which he advised should always send their very best, in the mould of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe to the National Assembly, given the abundance of intellectuals in the states. At no time did the report quote the Senator as saying that most National Assembly Members cannot write their names.
“It is also doubtful that Gulak read the report first hand to digest it.
And he obviously did not request a copy of the said lecture delivered by the Deputy President of the Senate or better still call it up from the internet to read and digest since he spends his ample time thriving in reckless statements and jumping into other people’s work schedule. This, added to lack of political manners, leaves him with no locus standi whatsoever to dabble into the affairs of the hallowed institution of the National Assembly.
“It is unfortunate that Gulak who is supposed to be neck deep in gainful political strategies and bridge-building for Mr. President has practically reassigned himself the disreputable role of troublemaking, meddlesome interloping and indeed bridge breaking.
“One would expect Gulak to allow the Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters, Senator Joy Emodi who is experienced in the matters of the National Assembly, having being a Distinguished Senator of great repute, to continue with her mature handling of matters relating to the institution rather than muddling things up. Or does Gulak also want to take over the job of Presidential Adviser on National Assembly which the President must have put several things into consideration before making a choice for the appointment?
“Let it be made clear, once again, that the National Assembly has no issues with the President and Commander-in-Chief. It is rather people like Gulak that are bent on stage-managing crisis of confidence for reasons best known to them.
“While it is gratifying that Mr. President has recently had cause to disown Gulak over his poor conducts and unguarded statements hauled at the National Assembly and its officers, for the umpteenth time, it s advisable for Mr. President to review the stewardship and real inner motives of Mr. Ahmed Gulak whom, either oblivious of his job schedule or lacking the competence to undertake it, is preoccupied with fomenting trouble for his Administration” he said.