The house of representatives was
thrown into a rowdy session on Thursday when one of the lawmakers kicked
against the honour given to MKO Abiola, presumed winner of the 1993
presidential election, by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Abiola emerged winner of the
election which took place on June 12 that year but the military government of
Ibrahim Babangida annulled the election result.
On Wednesday, Buhari conferred
the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on the late icon as a sign
of honour, and also declared June 12 new date for celebration of Democracy Day.
However, speaking during plenary
on Thursday, Nicholas Ossai, from Delta state, said Buhari’s decision to
announce the new public holiday on Wednesday rather than on May 29 was “with
bad intent.”
He also said only the national
assembly is empowered to set new dates for public holidays.
“Public holiday is derived from
the national assembly act and not from executive declaration,” the lawmaker
said.
“This honour is to be given to
the president or former presidents who are still alive.
“Two weeks ago, we celebrated our
great feat as a nation our Democracy Day. The executive never thought it wise
to declare it on that day. What is the difference between now and one week ago,
it is an act of discrimination.
“What happens to the public funds
used in celebrating Democracy Day weeks ago? They must be accounted for. Why
didn’t the president announce it on that day
At this point, he was shut down
with shouts of “sit down” from some of the lawmakers, leading to a rowdy
session.
Some of the other lawmakers who
also spoke on the issue said there is need to ensure the rule of law is abided
with regarding the matter, while others spoke in favour of the president’s
decision.
This has led to a noisy session
which has continued for more than twenty minutes.
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