Deputy Speaker Won’t Lose Seat – House Of Reps Deputy Spokesman
The purported plans by some members of the House of Representatives to remove
the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha because his party, the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, has lost the majority status in the Green Chambers of
the National Assembly has been debunked by Vice Chairman of the House
Committee on Information, Mr. Victor Ogene.
The PDP had following a recent mass defection of 37 of its aggrieved members
before the House went on Christmas and New Year break, lost its majority
status to the opposition All Progressives Congress.
But Rep. Ogene in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Monday described
the report as “a deliberate attempt to cause crisis in the House as it
prepares to resume”.
He cited the House rules and the constitution which clearly spells out how the
deputy speaker maybe removed from office saying, he “can only be removed in
the event of his resignation, impeachment or death and not due to a change of
majority party in the House”.
The deputy spokesman of the House added that Ihedioha may not defect to the
APC even if his boss, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, decided to join the opposition camp
as currently being speculated.
Ogene said, “It would not be an unusual scenario as it had happened in the
past that a presiding officer and his deputy belonged to different parties.
“Resignation, death or impeachment are the only ways that a vacancy can occur
in the office of the speaker or deputy or indeed, any other principal
officer’s position.
“However, Order 7 (2) of the House Rules states that while those of the
majority leadership come from the party with majority members, the minority
parties nominate from among themselves, minority leader, minority whip, deputy
minority leader and deputy minority whip.
“But for presiding officers like the speaker and deputy, for a vacancy to
occur thereof, the person has to resign or be impeached and impeachment
requires two-third of members which is 240 members”
Ogene maintained that the report that the deputy speaker “will be removed when
we resume is the handiwork of 5th columnists trying to cause a crisis among
members before resumption”.
“People should not forget that besides political affiliations, we all belong
to a group called House Project which saw to the emergence of the current
House leadership”, he said.
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