BREAKING: INEC and National Assembly’s Vacant Seats

The appointment of some federal lawmakers at the National Assembly into the President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet now necessitates the need for by-election to fill those vacant seats. BIYI ADEGOROYE and PHILIP NYAM examine the justification for extra electoral cost….CONTINUE READING…CONTINUE READING

On March 25 this year, they were elected lawmakers at the National Assembly. In the Senate, Senators Ibrahim Geidam and David Umahi, both former governors top the charts. But the grafting of the two serving senators into the recently created Bola Tinubu’s cabinet has left a huge vacuum to be filled. While Geidam now heads the Police Affairs Ministry, Umahi is the current Works Minister.

At the Green Chamber, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, (Surulere, Lagos), and Hon. Olubunmi Tunji- Ojo (Akoko North East/ North West, Ondo) are now Chief of Staff to the President and Minister of Interior and have to be replaced.

Some political pundits have wondered about the justification for such action, which they considered a disruption of the legislative system with the overnight catapult of the lawmakers into the executive arm less than three months after the commencement of a new legislative calendar.

In a parliamentary system of government practised in Britain which boasts of fusion of powers, the ministers would have continued to serve in dual capacities, but that is a taboo in presidential constitutional democracy like Nigeria, where separation of powers is sacrosanct.

Hence, with these appointments, the various constituencies of the ex-lawmakers are getting ready to ensure that their voices are heard in the legislative chambers, hence preparations are in top gear to replace them in a byelection. A number of aspirants have even expressed interests, waiting for INEC to release its timetable for the byelections.

What attraction?

Without any doubt, the competence of some of these cabinet members provides the allure. For instance, Engineer Umahi has been in the political arena for about 20 years, having served as PDP chairman, deputy governor and later governor of Ebonyi State, before his defection to the APC. Upon his election as senator, he even emerged as Deputy Majority Leader. On his part, Senaor Geidam, a former two-term governor of Yobe State, was representing Yobe East in the Upper Chamber when he was appointed into Tinubu’s cabinet as Police Affairs Minister.

Forty-one years old Hon. Tunji-Ojo who was serving his second term representing Akoko North East/ Akoko North West Federal Constituency of Ondo State in the House of Representatives has proved his mettle during his stint in the lower chamber. First elected in 2019 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), shortly upon his inauguration, he was said to have mobilised 246 other lawmakers to support the speakership ambition of the Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, under the forum of first-timers lawmakers, chaired by him.

He was consequently made the chairman of the House Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). He was also a member of House of Representatives Committees on National Security and Intelligence, Local Content, Gas Resources, North-East Development Commission (NEDC), Housing, FCT Area Council and Ancillary Matters, Solid Minerals and Pilgrims Affairs.

Tunji-Ojo became famous for leading the probe of alleged corruption of over N80 billion in the NDDC. Since he assumed office as the Minister of Interior, he has been making waves, and expressed readiness to fast-track passport acquisition, ensure security of the nation’s correctional centres and strengthen internal security. Also conspicuous on the cabinet is Hon. Zephaniah Bitrus Jisalo, appointed Minster of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs.

He comes across as the first Federal Capital Territory (FCT) native to be appointed minister since 1999 and was a former chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC). In 2011, Hon Jisalo was elected into the Federal House of Representatives to represent Abuja Municipal/ Bwari Constituency. During this period, he served in the following House Committees; Sports, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Defence, Customs & Excise, Appropriations, and National Security & Security.

He currently serves at the FCT Area Councils and Ancillary Matters Committee. His legislative interest is law-making. As if enamored with lawmakers, Tinubu also appointed former rep members, Hon. Nkeiruka Chidubem Onyejeocha, the immediate past Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon. (Ambassador) Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, a onetime member of the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011 representing Gamawa Federal Constituency Bauch State as Minister of State for Labour and Employment, and Foreign Affairs Minister respec- tively.

In August 2017, Tuggar was appointed the Nigerian Ambassador to Germany by President Muhammadu Buhari. During his ambassadorship, Tuggar played a key role during the 23rd Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. He also facilitated the state visit of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Nigeria in August 2018.

The case is even worsened with the declaration by an election petitions tribunal in Abia State during the week that Onyejeocha, now a serving Minister was duly elected federal lawmaker to represent the Isiukwuator/Umunnechi Federal Constituency. Though the sacked Labour Party candidate, Amobi Ogah case would file an appeal, the development has created a lacuna as to whether a bye election would be conducted immediately or the APC aspirant who came second in the party primaries would automatically assume office as Rep.

By virtue of extant laws, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), must hold a by-election to fill those vacant seats. This has become very vital in order not to deny their constituencies representations in the Green Chambers. Already, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakub said recently that arrangements are underway to conduct by election to fill these positions, of course at extra cost to the nation’s budget.

Though no date has been announced for the elections, they would come after the three off-season governorship polls in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa states in November. The appointments, however, have not gone down well with some analysts. One of them, a former National Working Committee member of one of the prominent political parties said the action was indication of Tinubu’s government’s lack of readiness to govern.

“It speaks to the level of confusion in the ruling party. It does not show their seriousness about the need to address the country’s pressing problems at this critical time. The President should have thought seriously about the additional cost implication of the nation’s terrible economy. “What extraordinary contributions will these people make to the government? Nigeria has millions of qualified citizens who would have filled these cabinet positions. For all you know, these appointees will see it as opportunities to bring in their acolytes into various positions.

“ On the flip side, other analysts are of the opinion that there must be something special the president must have discovered in the appointees. “The Foreign Affairs Minister is not just a professor, but also a former Nigerian ambassador to Germany. He evidently understands the dynamics of contemporary foreign policy. So, he is a round peg in a round hole,” an International Relations lecturer said. Prince Sunday Fagbemi, the Chairman of the APC in Kwara State, said President Tinubu has his reasons for making such appointments and he must have been convinced about the value those appointees would add to his cabinet.

“He knows what he wants. Those who were elected into the positions also had the choice of remaining where they were elected. If they chose to go to the executive arm, so be it. You can also appreciate the fact that the President cannot know all the people, rather they were all recommended by the state government. I believe that they were picked after due consultations.,” he said. On the issue of the cost of organizing byelections, he said “you cannot eat an omelet without breaking an egg. If the money is not spent on byelections, it would be spent on something else. In any case, these people would add some value to the cabinet….CONTINUE READING