• Their major contributions, how they will be missed
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
When the National Assembly will be inaugurated in June, some prominent House of Representatives members who made the 9th legislature tick will be missing in action. Reasons: most of them lost in their bids to stage a comeback while others considered other options than to return to the Green Chamber.
In this report, Sunday Sun looks at these legislators, their roles in the 9th House of Representatives, and why they are not returning.
The members who would not be returning are in four different categories. First, are those who did not indicate interest to return as a result of the political dynamics in their constituencies. Two, are those who lost out in the nomination of candidates in their respective political parties. The third category are those who contested for either the governorship or senatorial seats. The last category are lawmakers, who lost out in the just concluded National Assembly election.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, described the just concluded polls, as a very tough one for lawmakers. Gbajabiamila noted that the implication was that several members would not be part of the 10th National Assembly.
“It was a hard won battle not just for me, but for many of our colleagues on the floor there. All 360 of us. Many were unlucky. Some were lucky. I used the word ‘lucky’ deliberately because this election was not as it should be, not so much about the performance of members whether on the floor or in their constituencies.
“Even though at the general elections members lost, a lot of members actually lost their elections at the primaries, where their acceptance by the constituents was not put to test. What was put to test was what one or two leaders in their constituencies determined whether they were returning or not. So, we lost a lot of legislators even at the primaries level, and that does not help our democracy,” he said.
Prominent members of the 9th Assembly, who will be conspicuously missing in the 10th House include six principal officers. They are the Majority Whip, Mohammed Tahir Monguno; Deputy Majority Whip, Nkiruka Onyejeocha; Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu; Deputy Minority Leader, Toby Okechukwu; Minority Whip, Gideon Gwani and the Deputy Minority Whip.
Similarly, the Chairman, House Committee on Treaties, Protocol and Agreements; Ossai Ossai; Chairman, House Committee on Reformatory Institutions, Anayo Edwin; Chairman, House Committee on Maritime, Lynda Ikpeazu; Chairman, House Committee on Army, Abdurasak Namdas; Chairman, House Committee on Intergration in Africa, Umar Bago; and former Chairman, House Committee on Public Petitions, Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, will not make it back to the House.
Also, former Minority Leader, Leo Ogor; former Deputy Minority Leader, Chukwuka Onyema, former Minority Whip, Yakubu Barde; Dr Patrick Asadu, Mark Gbillah, John Dygeh, Benjamin Mzondu, Dozie Nwankwo, Samuel Onuigbo and Chukwuma Umeoji will equally not be part of the 10th House.
Furthermore, the chairman, House Committee on Electoral Matters, Aisha Dukku; Tajudeen Yusuf; Sergius Ogun, Herman Hembe; Sha’aban Sharada, Francis Agbo, will also be missing in the 10th Assembly.
Incidentally, some of the House members, who would not be part of the 10th Assembly, are those, who could be described as the “shinning stars” of the 9th House. These are members, who championed populists legislations and motions and were very vocal in holding the feet of the Executive arm of government to the fire, as well as played pivotal roles in the activities of the Green Chamber in the outgoing assembly.
Elumelu: As leader of the minority parties, Elumelu is the arrowhead of the opposition in the 9th House; pointing out the ills of the All Progressives Congress(APC). The minority leader, alongside his Senate counterpart, Senator Philip Aduda, had led the opposition in the National Assembly to issue a threat to commence impeachment proceedings against President Muhammadu Buhari, in 2022, if he failed to take steps to curb rising insecurity in the country within a specified period of time. Elumelu had led the opposition members of the House to stage a walkout from the chamber during controversy over clauses in the Petroleum Industry Bill.
Prior to the February 25 National Assembly poll, the minority leader was one of those eyeing the Speakership of the 10th Assembly. However, he was defeated at the election by the candidate of the Labour Party in his Anaocha/ Oshimili Federal Constituency.
Okechukwu: Okechukwu is very vocal member of the House in the 9th Assembly. The Enugu-born lawmaker as deputy minority leader contributed immensely in giving the opposition a bite in the outgoing assembly. The opposition leader’s interventions in debates on bills and motions, severally helped to shape discourse in the House.
Nevertheless, he lost out in the tussle for nomination of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) in Awg(u/ Aninri/ Oji River Federal Constituency. Though Okechukwu was listed by the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) as Labour Party candidate for the federal constituency, the deputy minority leader distanced himself from the party.
Ogun: Ogun is renowned for sponsoring people-oriented bills in the 9th Assembly and making valuable contributions to debates on bills and motions. In the 9th Assembly, Ogun sponsored a bill to prohibit public officials from going abroad for medical care at the expense of the government. He also sponsored another bill to prohibit public officials from sending their children to schools abroad. However, both bills were killed by the House, as lawmakers argued if passed, they will infringe on the fundamental rights of public officials.
Ogun, who was first elected into the House in the 8th Assembly, did not seek re-election, owing to the internal zoning arrangement in his Esan North/ Esan South West Federal Constituency of Edo State.
Ossai: Ossai is one of the prominent members of the 9th Assembly. Apart from his robust contributions to debates on bills and motions, Ossai is also very active at the committee level.
The lawmaker, as chairman of the Committee on Treaties, Protocol and Agreements, championed the probe of the loan agreement between the Federal Government and Chinese government.
Nevertheless, the committee could not pursue the probe, which was one of the celebrated probes in the 9th Assembly, to a logical end, as the investigation was “arrested” by the leadership.
Ossai failed in his bid to get the nomination of his party the PDP, to contest the 2023 general elections.
Nkem-Abonta: Nkem-Abonta, who currently represents Ukwa Federal Constituency of Abia State is a consummate lawmaker. A former chairman of the House Committee on Public Petitions, Nkem-Abonta is one of the strong voices in the 9th Assembly.
The Abia-born lawmaker was among the first to raise alarm over a clause in the Infection Disease Bill, sponsored by Gbajabiamila, seeking to compel citizens to take COVID-19 vaccination.
Regardless, he did not get his party’s nomination to contest the 2023 general elections.
Monguno: Monguno is one the most ranking members of the House. As chief whip, the lawmaker is saddled with the task of maintaining law and order in the chamber. He is also a strong voice in the 9th House. However, he will not be part of the 10th House, as he will be proceeding to the Red Chamber to represent Borno North Senatorial District on the platform of the All Progressives Congress ( APC).
Onyejeocha: Another member of the 9th House who be conspicuously missing in the 10th House is Onyejeocha. A former chairman of House Committee on Aviation in the 8th Assembly, Onyejeocha, who represents Umunneochi/ Isikwuato Federal Constituency on the platform of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) and currently the deputy chief whip is one of the outstanding lawmakers. She championed the Bill to create special seats for women in the National Assembly, in the last constitution review exercise. However, the bill was defeated during voting on the constitution alteration bills, last year.
Onyejeocha bid to be part of the 10th Assembly was thwarted on February 25, as she was swept away by the Labour Party tsunami that hit the Southeast during the election. Ironically, prior to the election, she was one of those speculated to be interested in the Speakership of the 10th House.
Dukku: Dukku, a former Minister of State for Education, during the administration of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, is a prominent member of the 9th Assembly. The Gombe-born lawmaker, who is the chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, played a key role in the enactment of the current Electoral Act. However, Dukku will not be part of the 10th House, as she was defeated in the election for the Dukku/ Nafada Federal Constituency of Gombe State.
Gbillah: Gbillah is one lawmaker who does not shy away from burning issues. The outspoken lawmaker was part of those, who led an onslaught against the Water Resources Bill. Although Gbillah had opted to go the Senate on the platform of the New Nigerian Peoples Party ( NNPP), he was defeated at the February 25 National Assembly election.
Mzondu: Like Gbillah, Mzondu played a key role in shooting down the controversy Water Resources Bill, when it suddenly resurfaced in the House in 2021. But the Benue-born lawmaker will not be part of the 10th Assembly as he lost his re-election bid.