Ahmed Idris Wase, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, on Monday insisted that he was right to deny Nigerians abroad the right to be heard, saying parliamentary rules gave only registered individuals and groups the locus to file petitions to the parliament.
Mr. Wase’s comments came in a press statement he issued on Monday evening to clarify his infamous exchange with another lawmaker whom he prevented from presenting a petition from Nigerians of Tiv origin living in the United States.
Mr. Wase’s comments drew widespread controversy shortly after the video of the incident surfaced, with a deluge of attacks being directed at him for showing a lack of understanding of what it means to be a citizen of a constitutional republic like Nigeria.
Several commentators said Mr. Wase, by denying the Tivs in America to present a petition on the false ground that they had no sufficient knowledge of what was happening in Nigeria, had effectively stripped Nigerians abroad their constitutional rights as a citizen.
“Did you say Tivs in America? What do they know about Nigeria? What is their business?” Mr. Wase said during March 12 plenary. “They can’t sit in their comfort zones and know what is happening in Nigeria.”
But in his clarification on Monday, the Deputy Speaker lied about what he said on the video, claiming instead that his comments were distorted as he did not set out to reject the petition of Tivs in America because they were not physically present in Nigeria — even though that was what he evidently did.
Read Mr. Wase’s full statement as issued by his spokesman below.
OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY SPEAKER HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
Our attention has been drawn to a piece of news item circulating on social, electronic and other conventional media concerning a legislative encounter between the Rt. Hon. Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Idris Wase and another Member. Hon. Mark Gbillah during plenary of Wednesday. 10th March, 2021 with the Deputy Speaker presiding.
2. Let it be categorically stated that the coverage and reportage of the incident have mostly been doctored. slanted and bent to give political and ethnic coloration to an event that was otherwise strictly based on Rules of Parliamentary Procedures.
3. Whilst it would have been unnecessary to respond to such show of clear mischief by mischief-makers with malicious intents, it has however become imperative to clear the air on the matter in order to educate the ignorant and reassure the enlightened.
4. To set the records straight. let it be categorically stated that the crux of the encounter between the Deputy Speaker, presiding as Speaker, and Honorable Mark Gbillah was on the LEGAL IDENTITY (and flowing from that, the LOCUS) of the Petitioners and not on the whether Nigerians in diaspora have a right to petition the House or not.
5. The House of Representatives belongs to all Nigerians and can be accessed by all Nigerians wherever they may reside. However, like other arms of Government. (such as Courts of Law), Petitioners must follow laid down rules and procedures in presenting their petitions to the House, otherwise there would be lawlessness. disorder and chaos.
6. Note that as a Rule, every Petition must be presented by a Sponsor on behalf of an identifiable Petitioner who can either be an individual/groups of individuals or registered corporate entity. In the current incident, the Sponsor of the Petition read the Petitioners as: ASSOCIATION OF TIVS RESIDENT IN THE UNITED STATES. For any experienced Parliamentarian, this very coinage raises a lot of technical questions. Are the Petitioners represented here in Nigeria via a Nigerian Office or a Legal Practitioner or are they totally absent from the scene?
Are they registered as an Association with the Corporate Affairs Commission? if they are absent and a hearing were to be organized, who would the members of the Committee on Public Petition be addressing, questioning or interrogating? Would the Petitioners be able to give first hand witness testimony as to the issues raised in their petition these and other technical complications were what the Deputy Speaker tried to interrogate, to which sufficient answers were not provided thus stalling the presentation of the Petition.
Please refer to Order 8, Rule 3, para. 5 (a)-(f) of the House of Representatives Standing Rules especially those related to Petitioners who are corporate entity affixing their Common Seal issued by the Corporate Affairs Commission. Para. 5 (b) and (d)- ‘Every Petition must signed by at least one person…followed by the addresses of the persons signing…A Corporation should sign in a Petition with its Common Seal’.
7. Note that the Deputy Speaker, by the Grace of God, is a fourth-term Parliamentarian with almost 16 years of parliamentary experience: some of which were spent being an active member of House Committee on Public Petitions. Therefore, he did nothing but bring to bear his experience in guiding the Sponsor of the Petition on the proper procedure to adopt in presenting the said Petition.
8. Note that the House has over the years entertained Petitions from Nigerians in diaspora. However, those petitions were properly presented before the House without any ambiguity as to the identity of the Petitioners or as to their locus and availability to speak to the issues raised in such Petitions.
Furthermore, in the preceding 8th Assembly, the Deputy Speaker, as part of the Principal Officers of the House (Deputy House Leader), actively supported the passage of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission Establishment Bill 2017 which gave birth to the establishment of the current Nigeria Diaspora Commission (NIDCO) headed by Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
In conclusion, the Deputy Speaker reiterates the commitment of the 9th House of Representatives to continue to promote freedom of speech and associations as well as provide platforms for all Nigerians irrespective of their religions or tribes or whether resident in Nigeria or in diaspora: while also upholding the sacred principles, rules and procedures of parliamentary democracy.
Thank you.
SIGNED UMAR MUHAMMAD PUMA