The clamour for zoning is good to some extents but the formula is not yet adopted or applicable to the position of house of representative or senate by Ezi-Agada and Okovi. It was adopted in some areas and that has its own flaws – It has denied Ebiras the opportunity to retain brilliant legislators who can contribute immensely to the national development. Hon. Ahmed Tijani Damisa is of such.
We are appealing to our brothers and sister to look beyond clannish and sectional sentiment in this regards. We want you to look at his capability, competency; is he representing us well? In Ebira Proverb and I quote “Árasi’eta ovisaà”. To be a ranking member at National Assembly, the benefits to the people of that constituency is enormous, it attracts more projects to the constituency, job opportunity, and juicy position such as Speakership or Majority Leader.
He is the right component, in right party; he has created that awareness, alignment, engagement and now its action. The electorate find out that Hon. Ahmed Tijani knows what they want, what they think, because he has marketed himself to that level. He has been tested, trusted; he is transparent, accountable.
Let us take a look at legislators at the national assembly who have remained in the National Assembly for close to two decades. According to the report, as far as the affairs of the National Assembly are concerned, they must be reckoned with, and their roles cannot be pushed aside. Some have spent 18 years at the National Assembly; some are in their 14th year. Of them, only one has stayed put in the Senate, and another has done same at the House of Representatives.
Lists the legislators below:
1. Senator David Mark (PDP, Benue, 1999-date). He represents the people of Benue South Senatorial District. In 2007, he became the Senate President and occupied the position for eight years making him Nigeria’s longest-serving Senate President. Two years into the life of this Senate, Senator Mark has not contributed to any debate on the floor and he is not a member of any standing committee.
2. Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan (APC, Yobe, 1999-date) Lawan, 57, also came to the National Assembly in 1999. He has spent 18 years in the National Assembly.
3. Honourable Nicholas Ebomo Mutu (PDP, Delta, 1999-date) The 57-year-old lawmaker came to the House at the inception of this current democratic dispensation.
4. Senator Ike Ekweremadu (PDP, Enugu, 2003-date). At the moment, he is the longest-serving presiding officer in the National Assembly, having served for eight years as Deputy Senate President (2007-2015) under Mark. He is very familiar with letters of the constitution and rules of the Senate.
5. Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila (APC, Lagos, 2003-date) Gbaja, as he is popularly called, came to the house in 2003 to represent Surulere 1 Federal Constituency of Lagos state at the age of 40.
6. Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno, 2003-date) Ndume was first sworn in to represent Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza in 2003
7. Senator James Manager (PDP, Delta, 2003-date) Manager, 56 was sworn in as a senator in 2003 to represent Delta South Senatorial District.
8. Honourable Leo Ogor (PDP, Delta, 2003-date) He is the minority leader of the house. He has been representing Isoko North/Isoko South Federal Constituency of Delta state since 2003.
9. Senator John Owan Enoh (APC, Cross River, 2003-date) Enoh who chairs the Senate committee on finance. was first sworn in to occupy a seat at the House of Representatives. He has been in the National Assembly for 14 years.
10. Senator Philip Tanimu Aduda (PDP, FCT, 2003-date) Aduda, 47) is the bona fide ‘landlord’ of the National Assembly being the representative of the FCT where the National Assembly is situated. Fondly called ‘Landlord’ by his colleagues,
11. Yakubu Barde (PDP, Kaduna, 2003-date) Barde has been representing Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency of Kaduna state since 2003.
12. Kabiru Marafa Achida (APC, Sokoto, 2003-date) Achida, who represents Wurno/Rabah Federal Constituency of Sokoto state, is one lawmaker that does not play to the gallery.
13. Honourable Jagaba Adams Jagaba (1999-2003, 2007-date) Jagaba, who chairs the house committee on interior, won election to the house in 1999. After serving his 4-year term, he re-contested election in 2003 but lost. However, he staged a comeback in 2011 and has been in the house since then.
It’s a shame that some people are still promoting politics of clannish sentiment at this period. I am sick and tired but not discourage about Ebira politics. Therefore, I call on those clannish promoters to join hands with his Excellency Alh. Yahaya Bello to see how we (Ebira) can realize our 2nd term project come 2019. No one starts a project expecting it to fail. Alh. Yahaya Bello start it, it is now our duty as an Ebira to look at Governor Yahaya Bello re-election bid as a collective project.
We should stop playing and building on local politics. It is high time we have people likes Saminu Turaki, Senator Bello Tukur, Senator Adamu Aliero, Senator Danjuma Goje, Orji Uzor Kalu, Aliyu Wammako, Abdullahi Adamu, Dr. Aliyu Modibbo, Senator Andy Uba, Senator Magnus Abe, Dakuku Peterside, Senator Silas Zwingima, Mal. Nuhu Ribadu, Aminu Masari, Gali Na’abba, Barnabas Gemade, Audu Ogbe, Oserheimen Osunbo, Musiliu Obanikoro, Atiku Bagudu at national level.
– El-Okene Adabara Abduljelil.
