By Thompson Agu, Abuja
The camp of the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha is witnessing turbulent season following political developments at the National Assembly.
A whirlwind of change sweeping across the country’s political terrain touched the House of Representatives in December 2013, where Imo-born Ihedioha, operates as the number two lawmaker when 37 members of the PDP defected to APC. The cross carpet action has since changed the political equation where PDP has lost its majority party status in the Green Chamber.
Despite spirited attempts made by the PDP leadership to stem the tide and sanction the defecting lawmakers through Federal High Court action that requested their seats be declared vacant, Rt Ihedioha is at the receiving end of the APC Tsunami as the shift in majority status of the House may affect his principal office position, even as reports have it that there are no plans by Reps Members to remove the representative of Aboh Mbaise/Ngor Okpala from Deputy Speaker position.
While the rumour mill and unconfirmed reports in Abuja are abound that the current Minority Leader of the House, Hon Femi Gbajamila of APC representing one of the Lagos State Federal Constituencies is being tipped to take over the Deputy Speaker position in a planned minor changes in the Green Chamber, the House of Reps denied such plan stating that “it is a deliberate attempt to cause crisis in the House as it prepares to resume”.
The permutation that is said to likely affect Ihedioha’s Deputy Speaker position is that since the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal is alleged to be pro APC and sympathetic to the new major opposition party through body language and verbal expressions, Ihedioha may be the sacrificial lamb in APC’s quest to take total control of the House of Representatives.
Ihedioha, a die-hard PDP member has not hidden his resolve to remain in the party that gave him ticket and support to be in the federal legislative Lawmaking body a record three times. An unperturbed Deputy Speaker had at a recent public forum debunked rumours of his planned defection to APC adding that he remains in PDP irrespective of mass defection reigning in the Federal House and threat to his office.
A member of the House was quoted to have said that Gbajamilia would be elected to be the Deputy Speaker as Ihedioha yields his position this first quarter of 2014.
According to the lawmaker in an interview with a notable national daily “we are thinking of the possibility of our own leader, Rt Hon Femi Gbajamilia being the next Deputy Speaker. As you already know, this man (Gbajamilia) has been a leader for a very long time and he had done wonderfully well. So it is only right and fair for him to now be our Deputy Speaker”.
The motive behind the push Trumpeta gathered was to threaten Ihedioha into rescinding his earlier resolve not to dump PDP for APC. APC leaders are said to be using the threat to woo Ihedioha into the party in order to strengthen the South East base of party where Okorocha seems to be the only major stakeholder as well correct the negative impression that the APC is anti-Igbo.
Apart from Ihedioha, other principal officers, except Tambuwal likely heading to APC, are on firing range. The leader of the House, Mukilat Akande Adeola (PDP Oyo) and Deputy Leader Leo Ogar (PDP Delta) will also face the music in the expected wind of change in the Green Chamber.
However, some factors are working in favour of Ihedioha. Apart from his likeable personality which has transformed him to a major power broker, political icon and significant lawmaker with rich legislative know how, House rules and constitution clearly states conditions for change of guard at any arm the National Assembly.
In an interview with newsmen in Abuja on the issue, Vice-Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Mr Victor Ogene while debunking the change of guard planed cited the House rules and the constitution which clearly spells out how the deputy speaker may be removed from office saying, he “can only be removed in the event of his resignation, impeachment or death and not due to a change of majority party in the House”.
The deputy spokesman of the House added that Ihedioha may not defect to the APC even if his boss, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, decides to join the opposition camp as currently being speculated.
Ogene said, “It would not be an unusual scenario as it had happened in the past that a presiding officer and his deputy belonged to different parties.
“Resignation, death or impeachment are the only ways that a vacancy can occur in the office of the speaker or deputy or indeed, any other principal officer’s position.
“However, Order 7 (2) of the House Rules states that while those of the majority leadership come from the party with majority members, the minority parties nominate from among themselves, minority leader, minority whip, deputy minority leader and deputy minority whip.
“But for presiding officers like the speaker and deputy, for a vacancy to occur thereof, the person has to resign or be impeached and impeachment requires two-third of members which is 240 members”
Ogene maintained that the report that the deputy speaker “will be removed when we resume is the handiwork of 5th columnists trying to cause a crisis among members before resumption”.
“People should not forget that besides political affiliations, we all belong to a group called House Project which saw to the emergence of the current House leadership”, he said.
Another factor working for Ihedioha is the fact that APC needs nine more members for simple majority of 181 in order to take full charge in the House and possibility displace PDP and take over the leadership of the House. PDP has been slashed from 218 members to 171 while APC raised from 138 to 178, a slim majority. And the decamping APC lawmakers may not act now considering the legal approach adopted by the PDP to make their seats vacant.
Efforts to reach Ihedioha’s media aide in Abuja, Mr Epia and a visit to Ihedioha’s office at the National Assembly proved abortive as his phone was switched off. But an aide to Ihedioha who preferred anonymity, said that there is no “shaking” as the Deputy Speaker “dey kampe”. The aide said that the report of possible removal is figment of imagination orchestrated by uninformed persons who are not conversant with House of Reps rules and procedures but also disturbed by Ihedioha’s track record and glowing profile.
