There are indications that Senate President Bukola Saraki and the Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, require a public podium to tackle each other on the controversial issue of the Nnamdi Kanu-led Indigenous People of Biafra.
Last week, Saraki had said that the declaration by the Nigerian military that the IPOB was a terrorist organisation was unconstitutional.
He also said the ban placed on the group’s activities by the South-East governors did not follow due process.
In a statement, Saraki said the National Assembly would investigate the crisis in the South-East.
He nonetheless commended the military for maintaining the peace in the South-East, but added that the military’s declaration of the group as a terrorist organisation was unconstitutional.
He said, “I wish to state that the announcement of the proscription of the group known as Indigenous People of Biafra by governors of the South-East states and the categorisation of the group as a ‘terrorist organisation’ by the Nigerian military is unconstitutional and does not follow due process.
“Our laws make clear provisions for taking such actions, and without the due process being followed, such declaration cannot have an effect. I am sure the President will do the needful by initiating the right process. This will go a long way in demonstrating to the world at large that we are a country that operates by laid down process under every circumstance. So, those who have been hammering on this point should maintain their cool.”
He, however, added, “Following the clash between the military and members of the IPOB, I hereby call for calm and restraint by all Nigerians, so that we would all jointly find the right solution to the current problem, rather than worsening the crisis.
“Our brothers and sisters in the South-East, in particular, should continue to maintain peace…and go about their lawful businesses. This crisis will not benefit anybody but would only expose innocent people to unwarranted danger.”
The Senate President hailed all, outside the South-East, who had worked to ensure that the crisis did not spread to other parts of the country.
But the Chief Whip, House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, was swift in condemning Saraki, saying the Senate President’s declaration was “a mere political statement” that portrayed the nation’s Number Three citizen as ‘a controversial leader’”.
Ado-Doguwa, reacting to Saraki’s ‘pro-IPOB’s position’, said, “I am sure the Senate President was only expressing his personal opinion, which I further believe was not a good one in the given circumstances. The Nigerian Armed forces, in my opinion, are doing their best professionally and in the best interest of a united Nigeria. Even the South-Eastern state governors have declared the activities of Kanu’s IPOB as illegal and therefore proscribed. He (Senate President) can’t cry more than the bereaved.
“For me, the recent comment made by the Senate President on this matter was a mere political statement that would only portray him as a controversial leader. Considering the attacks meted out to innocent Nigerians by the IPOB group in the South-East and, indeed, the nationalistic conduct of the northern governors and the prompt action they took to stop possible reprisals in the North, the Senate President’s statement was, to say the least, unnecessary.”
Complementing Ado-Doguwa, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, insisted that the declaration of IPOB as a terrorist organisation was done in accordance with the nation’s constitution.
Buratai said this at the Nkwegu Military Cantonment Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, while inaugurating the “Operation Python Dance11” exercise for the South-East geopolitical zone.
He said, “What the Defence Headquarters said was to make a pronouncement, it was not a declaration, but this has given room for the right step to be taken. I think the government is doing the right thing; it is not that we overstepped our bounds, we are still within the limits of the law.
Already, many have insinuated that Saraki’s surprising support for the IPOB might not be unconnected with his touted ambition to contest for president in 2019
“What the military said was to set the ball rolling and to bring to the awareness of the public that this is what this organisation is about. I am happy that the government has done the right thing rightly.”
The Saraki/Ado-Doguwa disagreement has, again, brought to the fore, the hi-tech politicking at the National Assembly. Already, many have insinuated that Saraki’s surprising support for the IPOB might not be unconnected with his touted ambition to contest for president in 2019.
The Senate President, many have alleged, is quietly working to win the favour of the five South-Eastern states to complement other states, where he believes his strength lies.
Conversely, however, Ado-Dogura is said to be an unrepentant supporter of a Buhari second term project, which is still in the works, especially among the President’s lovers.
