The protracted crisis in the Plateau State House of Assembly is far from over as the complex is still under lock and key which has put lawmaking in the state into a halt. In this interview with MAYOWA SAMUEL, the House Majority Leader, Nanlong Daniel, explains what led to the crisis which is set to be addressed by the court on June 8. Excerpts:
The Bola Tinubu administration started May 29, and from his inauguration speech, fuel subsidy is gone. How will you describe the first seven days of his government?
To be honest with you, in most cases, we look at the leaders as the problems of this country but in the reverse, we’re the problems of this nation. When the president made the statement, he made the statement on the basis that there’s already an existing budget of the 2023 appropriation bill that was passed by former president, Muhammad Buhari, which didn’t reflect fuel subsidy. Mr. President was only stating the obvious; he’s not saying anything new. In our character, we always want to take advantage of any situation just to our advantage and to put people in a very difficult situation just because we want to satisfy either our personal needs or we just want to put pressure on the system, to be continuing the way we’ve been doing that has been yielding no result, it amounts to insanity. Nigerians are yearning for development, a workable system that’ll address most of the issues we have. One of the cankerworms that have destroyed this nation is this scam called the fuel subsidy. So, for me, it was a welcome development, but of course, there were reactions that came after the statement, that’s what we’re experiencing today.
What will be your suggestion to the president as the solution to the sufferings people are currently going through as a result of this fuel subsidy removal?
As much as the situation appears to be putting untold hardship on the people, we must agree as a people that for us to get it right, it must be difficult. So, if fuel subsidy is one of the major issues, look at the fuel price today, is it different from when they didn’t remove it? Aren’t we still surviving? What we need to tell Mr. President is that he should be able to look at the labour first, particularly at the Federal Government level first, which will also manifest itself at the state, the issue of wages.
There should be an increment. The money that’s supposed to be used for subsidy should be used to alleviate the living conditions of Nigerians, and we must start it from somewhere. And of course, there must be, not just a government policy, but a law that must accommodate both the private and the people who are in government, so that as the government price is going up, the increment of salaries and wages of the workforce is increased, in order to cushion the effects of the hardship. As much as we’re doing that, there’s a need for the government to interface with private organizations to see how they can also intervene, like it’s done in America. We can then see how we can design the economic architecture of this country. For the first time, I want the president to be firm on this. We shouldn’t be afraid to face our problems, and I’ll encourage him to go ahead. For Nigerians, we must advise him on the way forward. I stand with fuel subsidy removal but the cartel is very strong, that’s why they’re using the labour and different organisations to start a strike. Let the strike be for palliatives, not for the return of the old order but for an alternative lifestyle. If we do that, believe me, we’ll be able to address 60 percent of our major problems in this country.
The crisis in the Plateau House of Assembly is still far from over. What’s actually the bone of contention in the Assembly?
Let me be very honest with you. We’re politicians and the tendency to promote one’s interest is always there. I expect that we should be able to do our job with all manner of sincerity, irrespective of personal interest. The leadership we had then, Abok Ayuba, the fundamental error anybody can make is to bring a leadership that doesn’t understand the function of the institution he’s leading. Take my word, go and engage Abok. Ask him what the functions of a legislator are. As the leader or speaker, what was the legislative agenda under his regime that he’s been able to achieve and maybe what he intended to achieve by the end of his tenure? Maybe when you talk to him, you’ll understand the dilemma we’ve suffered all this while. Some people, what they know is the politics of divide and rule, and the politics that you just want to be the right man in the eyes of the public, and create a narrative that will appear that you’re Mr. Clean. In Plateau State, when you bring religion, they’ll say the governor isn’t working in line with this faith. People tend to go with what they think, it has resonated with their kind of spirit, so they key into it without asking questions, that’s what Abok was able to achieve just to divide the house on the basis of you’re a Christian, you’re a Muslim. And then, because he had the opportunity to meet some of the people from the PDP who actually offered him to go for the House of Representatives. However, the only way he could get it was to romance the former governor. And you know in his own domain, it was East and South. You know that Jos South can swallow Jos East three or four times. So, there’s no way he could become a House of Reps member without him kissing the feet of the former governor. That was the problem of the Plateau State House of Assembly.
It was one man’s political ambition that got us all into this. We stood to fight for autonomy that the state house of assembly must be independent, after the constitution of Nigeria had guaranteed that there should be independence of the judiciary and the legislature, and we were firm. As the majority leader, I’m not supposed to stand by my colleagues all through, because I represent part of the party and part of the government. My interest should be that I’m able to create stability for the house, the party and the government. But you see, in trying to do my job, the former speaker made it very difficult. All he was trying to do was to convince members of the APC to defect with him to the PDP, so that they can have the majority, so that he can please the PDP, so that they can give him the House of Representatives ticket. I was under pressure. He actually pressured me that he can also lobby for me to become House of Reps in my constituency. I told him no, that our party does zoning. It can’t work in my place that was the genesis of my problem with him, even mostly because of Plateau interest. We try to see that we create stability because the moment you see a leader who is only interested in what he wants to get, he’ll create division in that house. The moment he defects to PDP, we’ll form a majority there, and we’ll be pressurizing the government. The next thing is that you’ll see an impeachment. Two rams cannot drink in the same bucket at the same time, they must lock horns. Our thinking is the development of Plateau because we’re supposed to be thinking about the quality of laws we should be making to enhance good governance and productivity of the good people of Plateau. We were supposed to ensure that we go on oversight, to ensure that what has been captured in the budget is reflected in the lives of our people. We’re supposed to ensure that we represent our people effectively. Those were our cardinal responsibilities but instead of us organising workshops to build the capacity of those who were coming in new, for them to understand the rudiments of legislation, we were busy fighting. Almost all those who came in the 9th assembly were not properly trained because there was no time to do that. Most of them did not benefit like us before them. We had the opportunity to be trained, our capacities were built. But I pity those who came only at the 9th Assembly. If you truly engage them, you’ll know that we’re not developing.
“I stand with fuel subsidy removal but the cartel is very strong, that’s why they’re using the labour and different organisations to start a strike”
Last year, Abok was impeached as speaker. However, recently, the court reinstated him. How do you see that judgement?
I have all the relevant documents that even without being a lawyer; it was more of a black market judgement. The court that gave that judgement doesn’t have the jurisdiction to entertain the matter in the first place. Firstly, matters that are about the issues of employment, salaries, allowances are not within the jurisdiction of the High Court to entertain. It’s the National Industrial Court that has the jurisdiction to entertain those matters. You’ll see it in her order. Secondly, the former speaker, Abok, didn’t go to court to challenge his impeachment, it was through an individual, a house member representing Jos South and another member representing Langtang North. They were the ones who went to court. Abok who is also a co-defender in that matter has now become the plaintiff. Where are we going with the present judiciary?
All the same, the house still allowed him to return to his seat, after the judgement. Was there any attempt by the house to challenge his return?
I can tell you the drama that’s happening on the Plateau. Some of us decided that the House has already ended, let there be peace on the Plateau because it’s like building on illegality upon illegality. When this judgement was made, we went immediately to file an appeal and a stay for execution. Abok started threatening the clerks because when he was the speaker, there were things that they did together which I can tell you in clear terms, without any fear of any political or legal controversy, that this house was so corrupt to the extent that the clerk was threatened. The only way he can salvage himself, knowing fully well that in Plateau State, it’s the PDP that won the governorship election, and the fear to say he’s jumped and to also fall into the temptation that the EFCC will not go after him, so the man corruptly gave listening ear that whatever directive in the national assembly, whatever is happening today, he’s taking directives from Abok. Apart from the legal expectation, there’s a moral burden on us. Let it be on record that Abok was impeached. After his impeachment, he called some of us saying please save my name from the word impeachment. I’m not saying this due to politics. What I’m telling you in all honesty is that I’d rather go on resignation than to do that. He now said okay, we’re colleagues, if that’s your demand, because he said he’s not going to go to court. We asked him to do a handwritten resignation letter, not typed. He wrote with his signature, this thing can be subjected to forensic analysis. Between God in heaven, I’m a human being and I know there’s a supreme being up there, and I can swear to you that Abok wrote this resignation letter, politics and sentiments aside. He submitted it, the House of Assembly received it through the office of the clerk, stamped it and gave him a copy. But what we didn’t do was to present it on the floor of the Assembly to adopt it because we did not want to put ourselves in the public domain that after impeaching somebody, you now come back and say he has resigned. The public wouldn’t have understood our own internal mechanism. So, we decided to keep the document. I have the certified true copy here. Because of his ambition, he felt he had worked for the PDP to compensate him. When the time came for the primary election, he quickly defected, wrote a letter to the ward chairman of his unit that he longer wanted to be a member of the APC and that he’s moved to the PDP. That letter was given to the ward chairman, that’s the procedure. The ward chairman took it to the local government level, who took it to the state level, and then a letter was written by our party. Because there’s a constitutional requirement, either a member is absent from the office, though I’m not accurate about this provision, but I think its 128 days of being absent from sitting, you cease to exist as a member. Secondly, whether you resign from office, which he did. Thirdly, whether you defected or cross carpeted from the party that sponsored you to your current position, then he’ll cease to exist as a member, the constitutional provision is there. Abok has satisfied all these three requirements. He’s not been in the house for more than one and half years, he defected from the party, he penned down his resignation and he was impeached. When his seat was declared vacant, he left. Now, this judgement was supposed to be like an academic exercise because it has been overtaken by events. That’s to tell you the level of corruption in this country. How can you stay as speaker of an institution you do not belong to? You can’t put something on nothing, it won’t stand. But we can’t submit to their actions, which are why you see the level of illegality going on. The question you need to ask him is who delivered the judgement? Abok is just an illegal person, an intruder.
The complex is still shut. What’s the update on that? When will it be reopened?
To the best of my knowledge, up till date, the house through the speaker, Yakubu Sanda hasn’t reconvened. If there’s anything in the name of the House of Assembly, then it’s an illegal activity done under the shadow of darkness. To the best of my knowledge, whatever I know, I know because when the speaker reconvenes, he’ll call me the Majority Leader, I will send letters with notice of meeting. Members will come and proper sitting will take place. Why the police had to do that was because of the level of rascality of the PDP members who were desperate and wanted to create a scenario where there’ll be conflict in order to blackmail the then government, to make the transition difficult and to create the narrative that will put the government in bad light. That’s what brought about the wisdom of the Inspector General of Police to ensure that there was peace and order in the state house of assembly and in Plateau State. That’s why it was closed. But a new government is in place now, and that new government is a government of impunity. So you’ll not be surprised that impunity is also taking place. As far as I’m concerned, as a lawmaker, I’ve not been informed, and I don’t think there’s any activity going on in the complex, but if there is, then it’s an illegal one. The only person that has the right to open the house of assembly for any legislative business is the speaker, and we don’t have two speakers on the Plateau, we only have one speaker, who is Rt. Hon. Yakubu Sanda.
“He’s not a man you can trust with his words because he doesn’t have the grip of leadership. There are people who brought him to power, who are the ones dictating to him, and those people are known for impunity”
The Plateau Assembly wasn’t in session but a recommendation letter was sent to the governor requesting the sack of 17 local government chairmen, which the governor heeded to. However, in their response, the LG chairmen said their suspension was illegal. Why the suspension recommendation by the assembly to the governor, when there’s no constitutional provision for such a move?
I said it earlier that since the house of assembly was closed, the authentic speaker has the right to the opening of the house. The matter is in the Appeal Court for determination which by the grace of God, on June 8 will be determined. I told you that there’s this executive rascality with impunity in the party, led by the present governor, Caleb Mutfwang. I know that Plateau shouldn’t expect anything good from that man. I’m saying it without any fear or favour because what he’ll say, he’ll do differently. So, he’s not a man you can trust with his words because he doesn’t have the grip of leadership. There are people who brought him to power, who are the ones dictating to him, and those people are known for impunity. So, you don’t expect him to be the man of the day. Let me be honest with you, the House of Assembly and local government laws are very clear, even if some people decide to put themselves somewhere to take decisions in the name of the house of assembly illegally. Even if there is, the house of assembly doesn’t have the power to suspend or make recommendation to the governor for the suspension of legitimately elected LG chairmen. You have the power under the committee of local government and chieftaincy affairs. That’s why I told you that in the 9th assembly, most of the legislators, their capacity to understand the legislative work isn’t there. I called the committee chairman on local government and chieftaincy affairs whether he’s part of these people who are doing this illegality. He told me to the best of his knowledge that he’s not involved with any activity that had to do with the local governments. If you’re investigating a local government, there’s a committee that’s saddled with that responsibility that will bring the report before the plenary, take a look at it before making a decision. If the standing committee was doing their job, they would’ve gone round the local governments or invited the chairmen to present their documents before her. She will study those documents and then present the document through the motion of the house, signed by the committee members that this was their finding and the report will be placed before the house for debate. Our own responsibility was more of a corrective responsibility. If anybody is saying he’s recommending to the governor, the governor doesn’t have power to dissolve or to suspend the local government chairmen. For the governor to descend so low, as a lawyer, he ought to know better. He’s also in collusion with those people, it tells you the low level of the government we have in place and the height of impunity Plateau people should expect, you don’t expect anything good from those people. They’re just beginning; they’re starting on a wrong footing by breaking laws.
The immediate past governor, Simon Lalong, didn’t attend Governor Mutfwang’s inauguration. However, at the event, the new governor said the state has a debt burden of N200 billion. Will you ascribe faults to the immediate past governor for accruing such huge debts?
When a leader is in a hurry to make a statement, that’s when you’ll see these kinds of things around him. You’re barely in office; any reasonable leader will not make such a fast statement. Tinubu came, he was sworn in, I don’t think we listened to such a thing. There’s no governor around that knows what he’s doing, that came with the desire to work for the people that will be quick, without studying the documents to make that kind of statement. If a transition committee hands over documents to you, it’s a policy document. What he needed to do was to streamline it, to engage the document until you understand the issues that this debt is from when to when, because the government is a continuum. Every government came and met debt. But the figure that he’s quoting is certainly not true and I can challenge him on that. There’s no state or country in the world that’s not living in debt. But that’s not for you to use it to undermine or politically assassinate the character or to dehumanize a government that came before you.
Ask him, when his godfather, David Jang left government, what was the debt profile? What was the salary deficit he left both for the teachers and the civil servants? As far as I’m concerned, God will not allow such kinds of people to go far. Whatever you think of the last government, the opportunity has now been presented to you, let’s see what you can do with it. He’s a bigot, both from the tribal aspect of it and the religious aspect of it. Until they reverse their impunity, sorry, I don’t expect anything from them.
