History was once again made in the life of the nation’s Apex Parliament on Tuesday as the two chambers of the National Assembly decided to put their party differences behind and endorsed the emergency rule clamed on three security troubled states of the North East geopolitical zones by President Goodluck Jonathan despite conflicting reports in some sections of the media that some opposition parties have rejected the proclamation.
It could be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan had in a nationwide broadcast imposed state of emergency on Borno, Yola and Adamawa states of the North-East geopolitical zone on May 14,2013 based on increasing security reports arising from the zones with a caveat that all democratic structures must remain in line with section 306 of the 1999 constitution.
As a democratic government, it is expected that for Mr President’s proclamation of emergency rule to stand, it must be backed by a force of law to be given by an endorsement of the two chambers of the National Assembly within a limited time frame without which, the action of the President becomes null and void.
However, prior to the endorsement of the emergency rule last Tuesday, it had become crystal clear that the upper chamber of the National Assembly which is constituted largely by elder statesmen would without much ado, back President Jonathan’s proclamation whereas the situation in the lower chamber of the apex Parliament was still dicey because of its perceived antagonistic stance on the policies of the present government in power despite having a PDP member as speaker of the House of Representatives.
It may interest our readers to note that voting for or against the emergency rule in the three states of the North East was done in closed doors of the two chambers mainly because of its security implication and not necessarily for the purpose of witch-hunting of any member that may vote otherwise.
For instance, in the Red chamber of the National Assembly, voting for or against state of emergency was done through a voice vote which eventually revealed that 100 out of the 109 Senators present at the plenary, voted “Yes” while the remaining nine were absent from the sitting as explained by the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark..
Meanwhile giving insight into how the ACN lawmakers, whose party chieftains had opposed the proclamation, were prevailed upon to see a larger picture of the interest of the country rather than narrow partisanship, the senate spokesman, Eyinnaya Abaribe explained that it was agreed to jettison normal voting pattern and adopt voice vote to protect the identity of the senators.
Also in his remark at the end of the exercise, Mark had this to say, “We are conscious of the fact that the government is taking this step as a last resort but alongside that, we want to encourage the government to also urge the committee on amnesty to work alongside the current functions that are put in place to bring this to an end so that at the end of the day, government can concentrate on their efforts to win the hearts and minds of the people in all the states that are affected.”
Senate on Thursday had to endorse the conference report of both chambers on emergency rule in which both Houses directed governors and council chairmen of the three states of Borno Adamawa and Yobe to henceforth take directives from President Jonathan on all issues concerning the affairs of the areas of jurisdiction.
The harmonized report reads in part; “The president may give directions to a state governor or local government chairman directly or through his designate or a duly authorized person with respect to the administration of the emergency area in matters of public order, peace and security only and it shall be the duty of the state governor or local government to comply with the directive.”
It also adds that the governors or local government chairman in any of the emergency states shall in accordance with the stipulation in 1999 Constitution, “exercise their functions in accordance with any directions given to them by the president, his designate or any authorized person as it relates to matter of public order, peace and security only.”
The Red chamber on Wednesday fraud at the proliferation of Almajiri syndrome in parts of the North in a Bill to repeal and re-enact the trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 for another one on Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement and Administration Bill 2013.
It called for banning of the practice while condemning trafficking in persons within the underage children and girl child in and outside the country.