For the first time, the House of Representatives, Wednesday, suspended its plenary to allow Muslim members went for their prayers.
The house presided over by Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker of the House of Representatives proceeded on the prayer after swearing in new members who won Saturday’s re-run elections in some states.
Our reporter learned that the House stood down its proceedings in the Order paper to enable the members to go for prayers only to return after some time to continue with the day’s business.
“This is in breach of the standing rules and procedure guiding conduct of the House,” a staffer of the National Assembly fumed.
An insider told Straightnews that “The presence in the Geen chambers on Wednesday, January 29 by the Kano State delegation to the oath-taking ceremony, (for the second time in this 9th Assembly), led by the recently saved by the Supreme Court Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje seemed like a jihad mission.
“Kano State had two very highly-prized citizens, members of the House of Representatives, whose elections were nullified by the courts and fresh elections ordered, Honourable Alhassan Doguwa and Honourable Abdulmumini Jibrin, both of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The Independent National Election Commission (INEC) had fixed the fresh elections for Saturday, January 25 across the nation but in Kano, something interesting played out.”
Another source noted, “It is believed that the State Government was more interested in returning Alhassan Doguwa not only to the House of Reps but to the position of House Leader even if the “enfant terrible” of House of Reps was sacrificed. Truly, Jibrin was sacrificed as the outcome of the court-ordered election has testified. He was roundly defeated by the opposition PDP candidate.
“Jibrin was weighed down at home by exigencies of local politics and nationally by his attitude or reaction or response in the budget padding episode for which he was suspended from plenary. His contribution to the emergence of Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as Speaker in the 9th Assembly further made him an endangered species. He had to be stopped.”
An anonymous source said “After taking the oath of office for the second time in this 9th Assembly, and being consequently returned as the House Leader, Doguwa approached the Speaker’s table and whispered the need to recognise his faith by calling on the house to stand down matters on the day’s order paper and recess for Muslim members to go have their 1 p.m. prayer time. This singular action has never happened before since the 4th Republic began in 1999.”
“Could it be said that a jihad crusade had left the near turmoil in the ancient kingdom of Kano emirate to take root in chambers of the Federal House of Representatives?” he queried.
