The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase, on Wednesday, May 24, clashed during plenary in Abuja.
Gbajabiamila and Wase clashed during plenary over the announcement by the Speaker that the Order Paper for Thursday, May 25, be made lighter to allow the lawmakers to attend the commissioning of the permanent site of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) in Abuja.
Before adjourning the plenary, the Speaker announced that the NILDS permanent site along Airport Road will be commissioned by 3.00 p.m. on Thursday by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Gbajabiamila, however, asked the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Abubakar Fulata, to prepare a light order paper for Thursday, saying the sitting should close by 2 p.m. to allow the members of the House to attend the event.
Reacting, Wase said the primary business of the House was lawmaking and other official businesses, adding that the commissioning of NILDS headquarters was not enough to adjourn the House.
The Deputy Speaker said: “Mr Speaker, I’m getting to see this getting so funny and we have lost quite a number of periods of time. For the commissioning of projects for God’s sake! Why do we have to shelve a lot of activities that we have just to go and witness the commissioning of a project of NILDS?
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“I want to beg, sir, that we should do our functions. Those who have the interest to go, they have the right to. But our main primary function in this parliament is to make law and our citizens should be our priority.”
Gbajajabiamila, in his response, said: “Perhaps, DS, you don’t appreciate the importance of NILDS like some of us do. I think NILDS is very important.”
Wase however interjected, saying: “I have every information and idea of what NILDS is.”
The Speaker added: “It was set up by this same institution by statute. We are not adjourning the House to go to NILDS; what I said was, ‘Let’s try and make it light and leave here by two.’ If you want, we can resume by 10 a.m.
“We will do our work but we will adjourn this House at 2 p.m. I will witness the NILDS (event) because it is important to me.”
But the Deputy Speaker fired back, saying: “Mr. Speaker, the House is not about I, but us”.
Gbajabiamila, who first ignored his Deputy, made another announcement before returning to address him, saying: “DS, I have been in this House for many years, perhaps even longer than anybody here. This is the first time in the history of this House that a Deputy Speaker will be challenging what the Speaker is saying.”
Wase, however, said: “I don’t understand what you mean by challenging, sir. That I should not make my contribution?”
Turning to the Chairman of the Committee on Rules and Business, Gbajabiamila said: “Make the order paper light for tomorrow. This House will adjourn at 2 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday).”
The endorsement of Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu for Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 10th House had created a sharp division between Gbajabiamila and Wase, who is also eyeing the seat of Speaker.
Wase, who had openly accused Gbajabiamila of backing Abbas for the Speakership position, was said to have avoided attending the usual leadership meeting held before plenary, while also shunning the Speaker’s procession to the Chamber.
Abbas and Kalu have since been endorsed by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
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