Crisis is imminent in the National Assembly as Senators-elect are divided over the voting procedure to adopt ahead of the inauguration and election of presiding officers in June.
Igbere TV learnt that the lawmakers have disagreed on the method to be adopted between the open and secret ballot options.
Findings by Igbere TV showed that lawmakers loyal to the anointed candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Ahmed Lawan, were putting pressure on the management of the National Assembly to adopt the open ballot system, while those in the opposing camp were insisting on the secret ballot system.
The advocates of the open ballot, our correspondent learnt, had also reached out to the presidency with a view to compelling the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mohammed Sani-Omolori to make use of the open ballot system.
Sources said that at the end of the disagreement “is the allegation that the PDP lawmakers are seeking to influence the emergence of the next presiding officers through the back door.”
According to our source, the conspiracy theories are already fuelling insinuations that some PDP senators-elects are orchestrating a two-pronged plan to wrestle the leadership of the National Assembly from APC through the use of the secret voting pattern.
The Rule Book of the 8th Senate, which recognized secret ballot system, was the source of squabbles between the loyalists of Senate President Bukola Saraki under the aegis of Like Mind Senators (LMS) and The Senate Unity Forum (SUF) led by Senate Leader Ahmad Lawan at the beginning of the outgoing 8th Senate.
While a number of senators are claiming that the Rule Book of the 8th Senate should be set aside in view of the controversy that dogged its introduction, others are of the view that the Rule Book has to be used since it was adopted by the outgoing Assembly.
But some senators-elect, including Ahmad Babba Kaita (APC, Katsina), said the existing rule would not be used in the election of the presiding officers, noting that they would decide the pattern on that day.
“First of all, as senators, we’re not going to use any existing rule. We’re under no obligation to use either the existing rules or the one before 2015. We’ll decide on the procedure and the pattern to elect the Senate president on that day. Once we elect the Senate president, from there we’ll continue with other activities. The decision of the senators on that day is paramount. At any rate, we won’t do secret ballot. We have the right as members of the Senate to decide what we want,” he said.
Another senator-elect said: “We won’t support anything secret ballot on the election of the Senate president. The truth of the matter is that we are lawmakers that represent different people. We are not the electorate but representatives of the people. We should allow our constituents to know what we stand for on issues and not hiding under anything. In other democracies around the world such as America, whatever lawmakers vote for, it is known to everybody. Ours shouldn’t be different.”
A ranking senator from the South-South said, “There will definitely be a directive to the National Assembly management to conduct the poll in a transparent manner to avoid confusion. The implication of this is that the presiding officers’ election would be conducted using the open ballot approach. Anyone who is not satisfied could as well stay away. After all, it is not compulsory for everybody to vote or be voted for.”
Another ranking senator from the North-East, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Igbere TV on Wednesday that management of the NASS led by the Clerk were under intense pressure from both camps.
He said, “There is truly a lot of confusion and tension in the management of the National Assembly at the moment as the advocates of open and secret ballot methods are insisting on having their ways. Even members of the management are already divided over the issue. While some believe that the 2015 rules which made provisions for secret ballot should be adopted, others are saying that we should adopt that of 2011 which allows open system.”
Another senator from the South-East told our correspondent that all the senators-elect were unanimous in their support for open-secret method during the induction programme held recently for them.
According to him, the 2015 Standing Orders, which had already been distributed to all senators-elect during the two-week induction programme that took place at the Trancorp Hilton Hotel, is the authentic one that must be used for the election.
“All of us (lawmakers-elect) have agreed during the induction programme that we would use open-secret method and we have asked the National Assembly management to provide ballot boxes and cubicles for that purpose.”
Also, a senator-elect from the South-West, told one of our correspondents that the Senate must adhere to its rule to conduct the election.
“The Senate rules are clear about it (voting method). It has to be open-secret balloting. That is what the rules say and I believe we have to stick strictly to it. We need to adhere to it,” he said.
Also speaking with Igbere TV, a ranking senator loyal to the ruling All Progressives Congress disclosed that the lawmakers and Nigerians might be surprised on the day of the inauguration of the Assembly.
Also, a senator-elect from the North, has vowed that the move for open voting would be prevented.
But the spokesperson for the Ahmed Lawan for Senate President Group, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, told Igbere TV that the NASS management must use open ballot method for the election.
On his part, Lagos based constitutional lawyer and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana (SAN) said that while the first sitting of the elected lawmakers shall be presided over by the Clerk of National Assembly, the established rule for electing officers of the two chambers is expected to be followed in electing leaders among them.
Falana in a telephone interview with Igbere TV correspondent in Lagos however said before the sitting of the lawmakers, there must be a proclamation by the president.
“The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall proclaim the National Assembly. The Clerk will then preside over the first sitting of the lawmakers. He would be the one to swear them into office.
“Of course the National Assembly has its rule on how its leaders are to be elected and that is expected to be followed. And when I say they have their rule, I do not mean a forged rule,’’ Falana said.
