Uzoma Abonta, lawmaker representing Ukwa East/West Constituency in the House of Representatives has rebuked Ahmed Wase, the deputy speaker of the green chamber, over the latter’s comment on Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe.
Mr Wase while contributing to a motion raised in the floor of the house on Thursday over the leakage of what was discussed in an executive session that some lawmakers of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) were planning to return to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of 2023 general elections, berated house minority leader, Ndudi Elumelu, for divulging the information to the public.
The deputy speaker said by divulging the secret discussion, Mr Elumelu was behaving like Enyinnaya Abaribe, Minority leader of the Senate, who according to him ought to have been in prison for failing to produce Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) in court.
The Wase Federal Constituency lawmaker who said Abaribe should be jailed just like Senator Ali Ndume who was imprisoned after failing to produce fugitive former chairman of Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina, whom he stood for as surety, refused to recognize that the difference in the two case.
TODAY POLITICS recalled that while Mr Maina repatriated back to Nigeria from Niger Republic escaped after been granted bail, Mr Kanu escaped for his dear life when the Nigerian Army personnel stormed his Afaraukwu residence in Umuahia apparently to kill him.
“He (Abaribe) bailed Kanu Nnamdi and during the ENDSARS, we knew what happened,” the Plateau lawmaker said. “Kanu then was the one who was asking for the heads of Tinubu, destroy this, destroy that in the nation. But we have allowed him. He knew what happened to Ndume. Ndume, for bailing Maina, was taken to prison for not producing him but we allowed this man to go as opposition person.
“What is happening sir I think there is need for us as a system to change our tactics. It is not about opposition. If you are going to do opposition, do opposition that is right and also be part of the solution to problems.
“I think our privilege has been breached. There was complete wrong information and it is deliberate and that is why I am citing the issue of what I have seen the minority leader in the senate has done, with all of them sitting behind you. Ordinarily for failing to produce Kanu Nnamdi he should be in prison, just like Ndume was taken to prison,” the top lawmaker said.
Rebuking him for attacking Abaribe, Mr Abonta asked his colleague if he was arrogating judicial powers to himself in a matter pending before the court.
“The man mentioned is my senator. There is a judicial decision on this. Are we trying to arrogate ourselves judicial powers as to when you cannot produce someone who you bailed,” the Abia lawmaker said. “It was canvassed up to appeal. Is it an offense to bail somebody? If you bail somebody you produce him subject to there is no interference.
“The last contact the man in question had was with the military. The Senator who bailed the man was going to court regularly. The senator did not default. He was called to show cause and he showed cause successfully. Why is it a point of reference in the parliament?” he queried.
