Senate summons warring Ogun lawmakers

There are strong indications that the Senate may join the House of Representatives in declaring interest to take over the functions of Ogun State House of Assembly as it has summoned the warring lawmakers to Abuja. The divided Assembly is to appear before the Senate Committee on Ethics and Petitions on Wednesday, a day after the April 14 ultimatum the House of Representatives had given it to hold its sessions or risk being taken over.

A protracted disagreement between the lawmakers and Governor Gbenga Daniel has grounded legislative activities in the state for over one month, raising the fears that the Senate may support the House if it fails to resolve the impasse.

The anti-Daniel lawmakers in the Assembly had, through Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, submitted a petition to the Senate, which referred the matter to its committee on ethics and petitions for investigation.

The Reps’ committee meeting is coming just as the House said that it would not go back on its resolution on the Ogun political crisis.

The senators’ position is contained in a statement by its Chairman on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Eseme Oyibo, on Monday.

When the petition was received, the Senate gave the committee two weeks from March 24 to complete investigations and submit its report.

The clerk of the committee, Mrs. Oyebola Olaoye, confirmed tomorrow’s meeting in a telephone interview.

She said that a letter of invitation had been sent to the Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, Mr. Tunji Egbetokun, for the parley.

She said, “We sent the letter to the Speaker since last week to meet with the committee on Wednesday.

“We expect that the letter would have reached them because we sent it through the Ogun State’s liaison office in Abuja.”

Speaking on the issue, the Senate spokesman, Senator Ayogu Eze, said the Senate was concerned about ensuring peace in the state.

He said, “The committee will be looking into it for peace to reign because the whole idea is to ensure good governance. Nobody is anxious to take over a state House of Assembly just for the sake of taking it over.

“The whole idea is for good governance to be enthroned and I am sure that everybody’s anxiety is to see that the state functions in such a manner that good governance is enthroned.

“And the committee’s first instinct will be to ensure that there is peace and there is order and there is normalcy in the place; I believe that is what they are aiming to achieve.”

The 1999 Constitution gives strength to the Reps’ threat under Section 11(4), which can only happen if a state legislature cannot perform its legislative functions.

Section 11 (4) states, ” At any time when any House of Assembly of a state is unable to perform its functions by reason of the situation prevailing in that state, the National Assembly may make such laws for the peace, order and good government of that state with respect to matters on which a House of Assembly may make laws as may appear to the National Assembly to be necessary or expedient until such time as the House of Assembly is able to resume its functions; and any such laws enacted by the National Assembly pursuant to this section shall have effect as if they were laws enacted by the House of Assembly of the state.

The takeover of the functions of a state assembly will only be complete if the two chambers of the National Assembly resolve to do so.

Though the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, did not chair the session when the House threatened on April 2 to take over the Ogun State Assembly, it is widely believed that he has a partisan interest in the matter as one of the key political figures from the state.

Similarly, Obasanjo-Bello, who submitted the petition of the anti-Daniel lawmakers to the Senate, is a known political foe of the governor.

However, the Senate Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, called for caution in dealing with the Ogun State political imbroglio.

He said, “As far as I am concerned, I think it is an issue that has to be handled very, very carefully. Because we should not be seen (the National Assembly) to be engaged in what might be interpreted as meddlesomeness.”

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives is forging ahead in its planned take-over of the state Assembly which expires on Tuesday (today).

This is contained in a statement on Monday by Eyibo.

Eyibo’s statement reads in part, “Let me say that the House of Representatives stands by its resolution warning feuding parties in the Ogun State House of Assembly and the Government of Ogun State that the House of Representatives will be compelled to invoke the powers granted it by Section 11, sub-section 4 of the constitution if the Assembly fails to reconvene on or before April 14, 2009.

“The stand of the House is in line with the provisions of the constitution and several precedents set by the House in its 10 years of existence.

“You will recall that the House did a similar thing in the case of Anambra State during the crisis that engulfed the state following attempts to remove Chris Ngige as governor.

“Similarly, a resolution was taken in Oyo State during a similar crisis. The House also recently passed a similar resolution in the case of looming crisis in Ondo State which yielded positive results of all the parties following due process and legal means in resolving their dispute.

“Indeed, the House usually responds to such crisis within a week or two along the line of constitutional stipulations but had to wait for almost two months of the lingering crisis in Ogun State in deference to the position of the Speaker, Bankole, who is from the state and the mediatory efforts of the other well-meaning stakeholders in Nigeria.

“You will also recall that Governor Gbenga Daniel, members of the state Assembly and Ogun State Elders like Senator Jubril Martin-Kuye, Alhaji Sule Onabiyi, Dr. Doyin Okupe and others were invited to Abuja to find ways of resolving the crisis to no avail.”

Eyiboh stressed that the House took the decision after all efforts to resolve the crisis, including the intervention of traditional rulers, had failed.

Meanwhile, the state Elders Consultative Forum has succeeded in bringing the warring factions to a discussion table on Monday.

Our correspondent learnt that the peace meeting, held at the Governor’s Office, Abeokuta, was at the instance of the conflict mediation committee of the forum.

The meeting, which lasted for about two hours, was attended by the Speaker of the state Assembly, Mr. Tunji Egbetokun; his deputy, Pastor Remmy Hazzan, representing the Group of 15 allegedly planning the impeachment of Daniel.

The former Speaker, Chief Titi Oseni, who is leading the Group of 11, said to be loyal to Daniel, also attended.

Daniel was the last to arrive for the meeting, which was held behind closed doors, ending about 4.30pm.

Our correspondent learnt that the members of the conflict mediation committee which attended the meeting included a former Managing Director of Daily Times Plc, Chief Tola Adeniyi; a former President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Alhaji Lateef Owoyemi; and Chief Adedeji Olugbenle.

Adeniyi, who spoke with journalists after the meeting, said it was aimed at finding a lasting solution to the lingering political impasse in the state.

Adeniyi said, “We realise that the problems essentially revolve around three areas. There is the disagreement over the 2011 governorship race in the state. The members of the House of Assembly are divided and there are many litigations over a lot of issues.

He did not, however, confirm if the meeting addressed the accusation of the G-15 over that the allocations of the House had not been released to it since January.