Mr. Ahmad Wase, Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives.
By Marie-Therese Nanlong
Jos – Nigerians in diaspora have been called upon to refrain from the ongoing media war against the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmad Wase following the recent exchange of words between him and his colleague, Mark Gbillah during plenary at the floor of the House.
Recall that Wase had rejected a public petition from Tiv people in America against the federal government on alleged taking over of their ancestral land after being forcefully ejected by herdsmen as he said Nigerians in diaspora are not eligible to make such petition.
This has attracted diverse criticisms but some members of his constituency under the aegis of Vanguards against enemies of democracy who rose to his defense said the Deputy Speaker was misinterpreted and cautioned against unnecessary overheating of the polity.
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Addressing journalists in Jos, the group through its Director of Public Communications, Tongzum Barde said Wase has respect for every Nigerian irrespective of tribe or religion and has always worked for the good of Nigerians either at home or in diaspora hence the attempt to hijack the legislative dispute between colleagues and tarnish the image of Wase would not be accepted.
He said, “the media space has been inundated by uncanny vituperations from some elements who claim to be “Nigerians in Diaspora” or identify with such unsubstantiated cause, seeking to hang the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase over a legislative procedural disagreement he had with Hon. Gbilah on the floor of the House, where the Rt. Honourable Deputy Speaker was presiding as Speaker.
“We have observed with utmost dismay how a mere legislative disputation on procedure between two parliamentarians, one of which is by far more experienced than the other, has been hijacked by political opportunists, ethnic jingoists and religious bigots masquerading themselves as “Nigerians in Diaspora” or their supporters to spread mischief by turning truth on its head, and as a result, heating up the polity unnecessarily.
“It is an indisputable fact, that the National Assembly, especially the House of Representatives, has consistently conducted its legislative businesses in the open and has shown its proceedings live on different media platforms. One therefore wonders where the story of ethnic profiling or intolerance emanated from as was claimed to have been publicly exhibited by the Rt. Hon. Deputy Speaker during plenary. This is a lie from the pit of hell!
“It is on record, that what took place that fateful day was the Deputy Speaker drawing the attention of his brother-colleague to the inadequacies of his petition as presented on the floor in line with the rules and business proceedings of the House of Representatives. As it is in the House Rule and also known to our laws that every public petition must carry a defined person or traceable entity as the petitioner(s) and must be seen not to portray any form of ambiguity in both its content and nomenclature. It is based on these errors that the Rt. Honourable Deputy Speaker stalled the petition until corrections are made.
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“At no point during the plenary did the Rt. Honourable Deputy Speaker profiled any ethnic group nor denigrated the very respected Nigerians in Diaspora, a group he strongly supported through the establishment of the Diaspora Commission in the 8th Assembly, which has since been established and headed by Hon. Abike Dabri Erewa.”
Speaking further, he added, “It is worthy of note, that the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives who also double as the Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament Rt. Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase is a seasoned legislator, a consecutively 4th term Member of the House of Representatives, with nearly 16 years of legislative experience to his credit.
“He has been a member of the Public Petitions Committee of the House, Chairman of various committees, Deputy Leader of the House and now Deputy Speaker of the House. He is unarguably one of the best members of the House of Representatives from Plateau State and enjoys a wide range of admiration and solidarity from his own people and Nigerians of different tribes and creed. It is therefore uncharitable to single out this detribalized Nigerian, in active service of his fatherland, for media slandering.
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“We call on the good citizens of Nigeria in Diaspora to immediately dissociate themselves from the media releases of these unsavoury elements. We recognize the fact that there are some run-away Nigerians in the Diaspora who are bent on setting the country on fire and have always profited from the misfortunes of their compatriots back home. We advise them to note that their antics have been long exposed, and Nigerians at home can never again be misled by their lies.
“As advocates of peaceful democratic ideals, we advise the enemies of our nascent democracy to stay clear of ridiculing the progress that we have made as a nation. Every right thinking and lover of Nigeria should channel their energy at uniting our people in the face of the current challenges of insecurity we are collectively being confronted by, not to further aggravate them. We will NOT allow them!
“We call on the Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, entire leadership of the House of Representatives, Senate President and all members of the National Assembly not to be detracted by mischief makers but be united in standing for the cause of Nigerians at this challenging period of our nation.
“We call on the Rt. Hon. Deputy Speaker not to allow his spirit to be dampened by his detractors. He should continue to contribute his quota and bring his experience to bear in uniting Nigerians and enriching our democracy.”
