Tuesday, January 07, 2014

The Dilemma of an Embattled Woman Lawmaker in Nigeria

Bauchi: The dilemma of an embattled female lawmaker

January 06, 2014
Nigerian Vanguard

Despite a court judgment and the weight of moral and political persuasions, the Bauchi State House of Assembly is determined to force her only female member, Rifkatu Samson Danna, to serve out a forced and illegal suspension from the House. The dangers of non representation and forceful expropriation of the mandate of Bogoro State Constituency is a challenge to democratic ethos

By Suzan Edeh

RIfkatu Danna was suspended by the Bauchi State House of Assembly after challenging the relocation of the headquarters of Tafawa Balewa Local Government to Bununu.

Though the Bauchi State High Court No 7 presided over by Chief Judge of the State, Justice Ibrahim Zango upturned the House decision and ordered for her immediate reinstatement, the House has demurred and maintained the suspension inclduing a ban on the payment of her salaries and entitlements.

Justice Ibrahim Zango had faulted the suspension of the lawmaker, saying that her suspension was unconstitutional and illegal.

The House, however, immediately filed an appeal before the Appeal Court in Jos and obtained a stay of execution of the judgment.

The counsel to the State House of Assembly, Mahmud Haruna Yakubu who filed the appeal, argued that the House could not recall Danna because she challenged her suspension in court.

The stay of execution was, however, opposed by her counsel, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN who argued that the mission of the House was to keep the lawmaker outside the house for the remaining period of her tenure.

He maintained that Mrs. Danna had the right to express her dissenting opinion on the relocation of headquarters of Tafawa Balewa Local Government from Tafawa Balewa to Bununu.

The whole scenario became a drama last September when the reinstated lawmaker, holding a copy of the judgment that ordered her immediate reinstatement and accompanied by hundreds of women and her constituents, stormed the House of Assembly in an attempt to resume sitting but the House leadership, on sighting them, disappeared and reconvened in an unknown destination, where they took the decision to file an appeal against the judgment.

However, when the House members deserted the House on sighting the reinstated lawmaker, Dannah made her way into the House chamber and told her supporters that her decision to resume sitting was in accordance with the court verdict that ordered the House to reinstate her immediately and wondered why the Speaker, Yahaya Muhammed Miya, members and Clerk of the House disappeared to an unknown destination to continue the day’s sitting.

She alleged that the action of the House was aimed at frustrating her, saying that ‘’Justice can only be delayed but cannot be denied.”

She expressed optimism that she would surely return to the House to continue to represent her constituents.

Explaining the position of the House, the chairman of the House committee on Information, Honourable Chiroma Dayyibu, said the House is at liberty to sit anywhere so long as there is a mace which symbolises the authority of the House.

Dannah’s misfortune started when Governor Isa Yuguda in 2012, sent an executive bill for the amendment of the Local Government Law to empower him to relocate the headquarters of any local government to any place suitable in his view.

Dannah became suspicious because the major backers of the bill in the House were Fulanis with whom her Sayawa kinsmen have been battling for ages over the ownership of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area.

However, when the House took a unanimous decision on the issue she became suspicious that her colleagues may have taken a decision without her. When she sounded her fears that her colleagues took a decision concerning the issue without informing her, her colleagues took offence and asked her to apologise.

Her verbal apology was deemed not satisfactory and she was as such asked to make a written apology and this she refused to do and she was promptly suspended.

Consequently, the House referred the matter to the House committee on Anti-Corruption, Ethics and Privileges for thorough investigation of the matter. The committee promptly submitted its report on June 7, 2012 recommending the indefinite suspension of Danah.

The decision of the committee was upheld by the House which asked her to return all properties belonging to the House. Since that June, 2012, Dana has been out of the House despite the court judgment.

Since then, attempts by the lawmaker to rejoin her colleagues have been unsuccessful and throughout the period, her constituents who voted her have been denied their constitutional rights of representation.

Rights of representation

Bogoro which is predominantly a Christian population is suffering because their interest is not represented in the State House of Assembly, hence they lack state government interventions in terms of executions of laudable projects.

Despite her travails, Danna has pledged her continued commitment to her party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Recently, the lawmaker visited her constituency in Bogoro, where she donated over one hundred bags of rice to constituents.

On arriving Bogoro she was confronted with dilapidated state of the party’s offices. She thus directed the local leadership of the party to give her estimate for the renovation of the dilapidated structure.

She presented over two hundred party flags to local government and ward officials of the party to mount across the locality to show the strength and vibrancy of the party ahead of the 2015.

Danna vowed that in spite of her political travails she would contiune to work for the PDP saying PDP has been her party and that she would not leave the party for any other party after contributing to the progress of the party in the state and her locality.

The suspended lawmaker said she has good plans for youths and women of her constituency which are targeted at empowering them and directed the 13 ward heads to submit names of two youths and two women to benefit from her empowerment scheme that is expected to kick off in February.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/01/bauchi-dilemma-embattled-female-lawmaker/#sthash.4FeN9MIX.dpuf

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