— We’re more legitimate than NASS, delegate says
— You’re enemy of Nigeria, they accuse one another
Delegates at the ongoing National Conference almost came to fisticuffs yesterday over whether to adopt two-third majority or three-quarter as stated in the proposed procedure rules.
The drama started when the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Chief Dan Iwuanyanwu, contributed on the need to maintain the existing two-third approach for reaching decisions at the gathering as contained in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Another delegate, Malam Naseer, who was opposed to this idea, shouted him down and both started accusing each other of being “unpatriotic,” with one telling the other, “You are an enemy of Nigeria.”
It took the intervention of the President of Market Women Association, Madam Felicia Sanni, who moved from the front seat to separate the angry delegates.
The controversial Order 11 Rule 2, which states that “in case of failure to reach a resolution on the matter by consensus, it shall be decided by vote of three-quarter majority,” was opposed by some of the delegates.
Iwuanyanwu said while the conference was intended to move the country forward, older delegates were busy introducing issues as three-quarter for quorum in an attempt to undermine the conference.
He called on the leadership of the conference to stick to the already existing two-quarter mark.
However, Justice Hassan Gumi pointed out that given issues as resource control, regionalism and other foundational national issues that are slated to be discussed, quorum at the conference should be reviewed to three-quarter to accommodate all interests.
In his contribution, Obong Victor Ata said he believed the conference was called to right some of the things that had gone wrong in the country, pleading that the conference should go back to the two-third majority as opposed to the three-quarter stated in the procedure rules.
Meanwhile, a delegate, Gen. Idada Ikponmwen (rtd), has claimed that the delegates’ composition into the conference was more legitimate than the National Assembly, arguing that most of the lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Senate were fraudulently elected.
But in a sharp reaction, a former senator, Ken Nnamani, queried the authenticity of the allegation by asking, “Who elected you? Because I know we were not elected here.”
Idada, while making his contribution during a deliberation on the procedure rules yesterday, said he wondered when the presiding chairman moved from addressing delegates as “distinguished delegates” to “honourable delegates.”
The Edo state delegate observed that when President Goodluck Jonathan came to inaugurate the conference he addressed them as “distinguished delegates,” alleging that a kind of hidden agenda was being playing which had suddenly made Justice Kutigi to change the way he formerly addressed the delegates.
Responding to the issue, Nnamani said he was beginning to fear the kind of power some delegates were arrogating to themselves which, he said, they did not have power to do.
He said, “Nigeria is a rule of law state based on 1999 Constitution and until we change it, we don’t have power to write constitution. Besides, who elected you? Because I know we were not elected here.”
