Following the recent budget controversy, controversial new House rules and equal allocation of Committee leadership among the ruling All Progressives Congress and PDP, Hon. Mohammed Musa Soba in an interview with DAILY POST’s Atek’ojo Samson Usman in Abuja said the actions of Hon. Yakubu Dogara and Dr. Bukola Saraki communicate their intention to abandon the APC before 2019.
He also accused the Speaker of being dictatorial by introducing new House rules that tend to stop the members from challenging him for his wrongdoings. He said such rules were the reason some of them have gone to Court against the leadership of the National Assembly.

Excerpts:

Can we know you formally?

My name is Honourable Mohammed Musa Soba. I represent the good people of Soba federal constituency of Kaduna State.

Why did you and other members of the House of Representatives go to Court to challenge the Speaker? What informed your action?

For a start, I want to tell you that rules can be challenged in the Court of Law. It is not that the House of Representatives is law itself. If the rules made are draconian and dictatorial, they can be challenged in Court of law. You see, it is not for us to engage everybody in a rowdy session. When the rules were purported to have been passed, we have our reservations because it was a voice votes and by standing rules of the House, certain decisions are not by voice votes. Such decisions are taken through clear cut voting pattern. To start with, we are in a democratic setting, democracy is supposed to be practiced within the general principles of the Constitution and extant laws, but from what is happening in the House of Representatives and with what they call new House rules, they have vested too much powers on the Speaker and the intention is to make the Speaker a dictator within the legislative setting. I am one of those members that dragged the House leadership to Court for it to interpret and tell us within the precincts of our legislature that the Speaker can become so dictatorial in such a manner that his personal opinion can become part of the rules of the House because when you go through the new House rules, they will tell what in the opinion of the Speaker and I asked how can the opinion of the Speaker become part of the House rules?
Honestly, it is not about picking the mace for whatever reasons, but to confer powers on the Speaker for anybody’s intention towards the mace, that is too draconian. This is because the Speaker can interpret your action and punish you by suspending you from 30 plenary. How can the people of my federal constituency send me here only for my fate to hang on somebody’s mercies? Only for somebody sitting down here to say I have suspended you, suspend me for what? Nobody has power to suspend anybody. There is a constitutional provision which requires the number of days a member should sit for plenary, nobody can suspend anybody. If any member’s sitting falls short of minimum requirements, he could be recalled and so it is irreconcilable that if somebody sits down here and say I have suspended you, he can even send you packing from the National Assembly.

We are representatives of our people and we should be guided in whatever we do. Of course, it is unreasonable for anybody to approach the mace in a rowdy session to embarrass everybody. We are not in support of that, but these kinds of enormous powers for the Speaker to deal with virtually all the 360 members of the House of Representatives is rather dictatorial and we are not going to succumb to that. So who is going to regulate the conducts of the Speaker? These are the people who would tell you that as a House of Representatives, we are autonomous. Some people feel that they are superior to others. Others feel that they can do anything they like and nothing will happen. I want to tell you that we will not agree. We are here with equal rights, equal basis in a democratic setting. As it is now, you cannot challenge the Speaker for his wrongdoings because in his interpretation, he could call for your suspension. Are we in banana republic? We are nobody’s boys and we cannot be subservient to that at all.

Don’t you think such rules were introduced to stabilize proceedings of the House in the best interest of the party (APC)?

That is not true. If you want peace and unity, you cannot get it on the basis of dictatorship. You can only get it within the context of constitutional provision where rights of people are sustained irrespective of your sentiment. We are regulating the conduct of the executive, the Judiciary is there to interpret and so the whole thing is intertwined in such a way that there is checks and balances. Those watching our plenary could see that everybody is at the mercy of Mr Speaker. He decides to take ‘aye’ or ‘nay’ depending on what he wants and not what the entire House wants. What kind of Parliamentary system of government is that? We cannot tolerate such jamboree anymore.

What is the way forward now?

The way forward is for those who think they can rubbish the programme of government to realize that they cannot. We came here with some agenda to be executed through our party and if they cannot assist the government to do that, we are certainly going to fight. Like I told you, they are people planning for 2019 and they are not going with the APC. They have their own agenda and this is what we are seeing about the Speaker and the Senate President. We believe they are not going to 2019 on the platform of the APC just like what Hon. Aminu Tambuwal did to PDP the other time where himself and others came together. The game going on in the National Assembly shows that they have Tambuwal solidly behind them. Of course, the party will do something and in the House, we will do something.



http://dailypost.ng/2016/02/01/saraki-dogara-may-dump-apc-before-2019-hon-soba/

Let's see how it goes

A pig will remain a pig no matter how it's cleaned up.

They should return to PDP where they belong. Been member of APC does not wash them off their sins. The anti-corruption war will bew moved to them either they are in APC or APGA.

We will not miss them rogues

The earlier the better for them especially the ultra corrupt Saraki. I hate to know that a man as that corrupt is the nation's SP. What an absurdity!

We all knew where Saraki belongs. He should leave. Nobody is going to miss him. But if he thinks he is going to win in 2019. I laugh in spanish

Thank you my guy...nobody is gonna miss them

FOLYKAZE:
They should return to PDP where they belong. Been member of APC does not wash them off their sins. The anti-corruption war will bew moved to them either they are in APC or APGA.

We will not miss them rogues

happy new month my guy

OnankpaBa:
We all knew where Saraki belongs. He should leave. Nobody is going to miss him. But if he thinks he is going to win in 2019. I laugh in spanish

happy new month boss

DONSMITH123:
happy new month my guy

ok

agreed with you sir

Topccy007:
Let's see how it goes

A pig will remain a pig no matter how it's cleaned up.

PDP should start considering them for Presidencial positions in 2019: Others are David Mark, Ben Bruce, NOI., Namadi Sambo, Makarfi and if the dust settles the kid comes back. Goodluck!!!!

Saraki and Dogara should leave before May 29th,2016. They are pissing me off. They gave National Assembly a negative meaning of little relevance.

Dey can leave Apc don't need backstabbers

K

And you think the likes of those you are busy calling will ever win presidential election?

orunto27:
PDP should start considering them for Presidencial positions in 2019: Others are David Mark, Ben Bruce, NOI., Namadi Sambo, Makarfi and if the dust settles the kid comes back. Goodluck!!!!

They are nothing but betrayals

westlius:
Dey can leave
Apc don't need backstabbers

I think APC should have done a better job and expelled them long ago.

They have their own agenda and this is what we are seeing about the Speaker and the Senate President. We believe they are not going to 2019 on the platform of the APC just like what Hon. Aminu Tambuwal did to PDP the other time where himself and others came together. The game going on in the National Assembly shows that they have Tambuwal solidly behind them.



Interesting....Saraki's body language said it all...

lalasticlala

FOLYKAZE:
They should return to PDP where they belong. Been member of APC does not wash them off their sins. The anti-corruption war will bew moved to them either they are in APC or APGA.

We will not miss them rogues

but been an APC member can wash Amechi and the rest off their sins

APC know themselves that dey don't av a chance come 2019.
They know they av and will perform badly.

Just picking a candidate from the. North to be PDP candidate and like 5 govs defecting to PDP will do the job.

tolexy007:

but been an APC member can wash Amechi and the rest off their sins

Can you pls get your glasses and read what you emboldened again.

did you read that before attacking him?

tolexy007:

but been an APC member can wash Amechi and the rest off their sins

you dey mind am?

FOLYKAZE:


Can you pls get your glasses and read what you emboldened again.

PDP is dead. Only waiting for its final burial- ALAO AKALA

Pavarottii:
APC know themselves that dey don't av a chance come 2019.
They know they av and will perform badly.

Just picking a candidate from the. North to be PDP candidate and like 5 govs defecting to PDP will do the job.

Expelling them its not the solution. Saraki has a case and am sure he knows better. His hands are not clean. So, any moves..he better watch his back.

EazyMoh:
I think APC should have done a better job and expelled them long ago.

REALLY?

they should go....I didn't read this copy and paste though