Reps reject emergency rule extension

THE House of Representatives Thursday turned down the request by President Goodluck Jonathan to extend the emergency rule in the troubled states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe by another six months.
Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Zakari Mohammed explained that an extension of the emergency rule was needless since President Jonathan has been empowered by law to keep the peace in the country.

Zakari who briefed reporters shortly after the lawmakers met behind closed doors justified why the motion to that effect moved by deputy House leader, Mr Leo Ogor and unanimously  adopted at the session with Aminu Waziri Tambuwal presiding over the controversial issue.

According to him: "We have not extended the emergency rule. Rather we have asked the President to rely on section 8 of the Armed forces Act which empowers the president to deploy the military to troubled spots in the country. We rely on that bearrng in mind that if we had approved this today, it would have been the fourth since the request for emergency rule started in May 2013.

"Therefore we have done three extension and if we had extended today, that would have been fourth in the series. Anything you are doing you should be able to take stock of what you are seeing whether or not that action you are taking is yielding results. Mr president should rely on that because if you take a course that is not yielding results, it simply means that Mr president should take another course. The armed forces Act empowers him to deploy members of the armed forces to any troubled point in this country."

Flanked by his deputy, Mr Victor Ogene (APGA: Anambra) and other members of the committee media and public affairs, he further argued that Sections 218, 217 (2) (c),14 (4) (2) of the 1999 constitution as amended further lends credence to the fact that the President can exercise his powers to keep the peace in the country.

Zakari urged members of the armed forces, the states governments, in conjunction with their respective local vigilante to rededicate themselves towards ensuring the defeat of the Boko Haram insurgents.
Expressing dismay over the attempt by a contingent of armed policemen to stop Tambuwal from gaining access to the chamber of the House, he reiterated the resolve of members of the House to uphold and defend the constitution even in the face of intimidation and threat to their lives.

Zakari who urged the police authorities to direct their energies towards flushing out members of the Boko Haram insurgents from the Sambisa forest also dismissed widely held views that there were plans to impeach Speaker Tambuwal who recently defected from the PDP to the APC. 

Meanwhile, Ogor has expressed concern over the ugly incidence in the House adding that the resolution did not in any way hamper President Jonathan from exercising his powers to keep the peace in the country.
He said but for the temperament of his colleagues over the ugly incidence, the request ‎for the extension of emergency rule would have been considered in favour of President Jonathan.

He added: "As it stands, there is nowhere in the National Assembly Act that spells out how the president can deploy soldiers. The president can ahead to address the insurrection in the country. State of emergency or no state of emergency, the battle continues."