Members of the House of Representatives elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Tuesday, warned against any further postponement of the resumption of the House.
According to the PDP lawmakers, any such move for another postponement in the resumption date of the House will be resisted. The lawmakers noted that the 360-member House had not settled down for any serious legislative business since it was inaugurated on June 6, owing to the raging leadership tussle in the caucus of the majority All Progressives Congress, APC.
Speaking on behalf of the caucus in Abuja, former House Deputy Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor, stated that the PDP members were ready to work and could not afford to continue to wait for their APC colleagues because of their internal crisis, adding that his caucus examined the implications of frequent postponement of sittings and resolved that the next resumption date (July 28) must remain unchanged.
He said: “The new resumption date should be a day that is non-negotiable because resumption must take place on that day.
“We are ready to work; we were elected to come and legislate for our people and there are lots of issues that have started having some level of negative impact, even in the society.
“We take it as a matter of fact that the APC as a party should please urgently put their house in order so that they can come to the floor and carry on with their legislative business.”
According to Ogor, the caucus also frowned at the alleged “harassment” of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission by operatives of the Department of State Services in Rivers, Akwa Ibom and other states over electoral matters, and the arrest and detention of Gordon Obua , the Chief Security officer to former President, Goodluck Jonathan. It added that the fundamental human rights of the former CSO had been breached since his offences had not been made public.
“I am convinced beyond reasonable doubts that the DSS Act stipulates clearly the responsibility and functions of that agency; the responsibility of that agency borders purely on internal security and security for government functionaries.
“I don’t know how they found themselves in electoral business because first we need to understand the Act.
“Even the Electoral Act stipulates very clearly that all (electoral) issues must be handled by the tribunal.”
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