Senator Victor Kassim Oyofo, the ousted Chief Whip of the Senate, is not the kind of person you would miss in the corridors of his house or in the chamber of the Senate. He has the physical size. He has the intellect. He has a commanding presence. He is a man of means. He spent his lifetime working in the oil industry and thereafter entered the world of oil business. When he enters the Senate chambers, he does not just walk in. He waddles. He swaggers. Every step he takes looks like a statement clothed in dignity. Some call it arrogance. Others believe it is self-confidence. Just like his walks, Oyofo does not simply speak. He talks tough. He lectures. Few weeks ago, he reduced what Senator Arthur Nzeribe regarded as a painstaking report to nothing and moved the Senate into giving the man a deadline to present an acceptable report or leave his fate at the mercy of the Senate. Nzeribe complied grudgingly. And when the report was finally presented, Oyofo praised Nzeribe to high heavens, describing it as �lucid.�
Unlike the previous chief whips that occasionally moved around the Senate floor to enforce orders among members, Oyofo issues instructions from the comfort of his seat. During plenary sessions, when Oyofo raises his hand for recognition to speak, he must be recognised for obvious reasons. First, you cannot ignore a man his size, particularly as he used to sit in front directly opposite the presiding officer. Second, as a ranking senator, the Standing Rules of the Senate demands that he must be given some level of comparative regards on the floor and on other issues.
Third, as an officer occupying the number four position in the scheme of things in the Senate, it would be derogatory to his office if the presiding officer ignores his raised hand. Lastly, as a member of the ruling party, which has the majority seat in the Senate, when knotty issues come up, especially one with the prospect of being decided on party lines, it is natural that a ranking party member such as Oyofo is recognised. What he says could enhance the position of the party.
Besides being the chief whip of the Senate, Oyofo was also the chairman of the South-South caucus of the Senate. That means he was the number one senator from that geo-political zone comprising six oil-producing states with 18 senators. That also implied that when Oyofo speaks in the Senate, it is assumed that the South-South senators have spoken.
It had been alleged that such authority more than anything else contributed to Oyofo�s fall last Thursday. Those that removed him alleged that he abused the privilege of his position. Colleagues said he was consistent and persistent in speaking his own mind as though it were the position of the caucus. Sources said on Friday that even during the caucus meetings, Oyofo left no one in doubt as to who was in charge and who should be heard. No one has so far accused him of criminality or engaging in �un-senatorial� acts. Some said the plot to remove him started quite early in the life of this Senate but that anytime such a matter was discussed, it was Senator Udoma Udo Udoma that would save his neck. But that was for a moment. On Thursday last week, Oyofo�s cup seemingly overflowed.
The question is: Why were they plotting against him.? The previous day, Oyofo was said to have personally plotted his fall when he unreservedly opposed a bill by Senator Ibiapuye Martyns-Yellowe titled, �Minimum Corporate Social Responsibility Bill 2004.� It was meant to amend the extant Petroleum Act, Cap 350 LFN. The bill sought legislative backing over issues alleged to be the heart cry of many Niger Delta people.
The first was the movement of all administrative headquarters of oil companies to their areas of operation for closeness to the people and the attendant benefits. It was also stated that such relocation would ensure that relevant taxes by oil companies are paid to states where oil is produced for the development of such areas. It suggested standards for employment and award of contracts by oil companies. For instance, there was a proviso that all unskilled labour and contracts be left for indigenes of host communities and that up to 50 per cent of semi-skilled contracts and jobs be reserved for indigenes of the host states. The essence of the bill was to seek a lasting solution to the crises in the Niger Delta region. It sought to replace the ad-hoc memoranda of understanding, which oil companies are usually arm-twisted into by the host communities, with a legislated, standard and uniformed package of minimum corporate social responsibilities by the oil companies.
There was no doubt that the bill was bound to die either within the chamber during debate or in the executive chamber of President Olusegun Obasanjo. Everything about the bill was that of compelling the oil companies to do what they had over the years refused to do. Oyofo, who is best known for uttering independent and controversial views on issues, stood against the bill. He told the Senate in clear terms that the bill was a piece of distraction and should be discarded. Most of his colleagues did not like his approach. They reasoned that even if the caucus chairman had his reservations about the bill, he could have adopted other means to delay debate and raised such reservations later.
Prior to this, Oyofo had resumed from holidays to hail the decision by the Central Bank of Nigeria to raise the paid up capital of banks to N25 billion from a meager N2 billion that some banks could not even meet. His position, which was taken to represent the views of the leadership, did not go down well with some of his colleagues who were bank chairmen, co-owners or principal shareholders. Before he made the statement, the Senate leadership had initiated moves to ensure that the CBN adjusted its position in line with what was regarded as popular views.
Added to this was the issue of the appointment of Chief Godspower Ake as the successor of the slain National Vice-Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, South-South, Chief Aminasoari Dikkibo. Everybody knew where Oyofo stood on the matter. In spite of the fact that his state governor and three others were against Ake�s appointment, Oyofo said the brouhaha was a mere storm in a teacup that would not drown anybody. He said the decision of the PDP to adopt Ake, who was presented by the Rivers state Governor, Dr. Peter Odili, was unquestionable. His colleagues viewed the statement as an affront to what was seen as a collective position.
These are only three of Oyofo�s moments of controversy in the past two months. Early in the life of the Senate, Oyofo was said to have incurred the wrath of his colleagues over the onshore-offshore oil dichotomy when he opposed a collective decision on how to approach the delayed signing of the abrogation bill into law. Since then, members of the House of Representatives refused to hold a combined meeting with their Senate counterparts. And in the considered opinion of his colleagues, Oyofo deserved to be punished.
On Thursday, August 19, 2004, the Senate had just finished clause-by-clause consideration of the Power Reform Bill and was about adjourning when Senator David Brigidi reminded the President of the Senate, Chief Adolphus Wabara, of an announcement he had earlier dropped on his table. It took Wabara several minutes before he read the announcement. It did not come to many as a surprise. It was a straight forward announcement: that 13 out of 18 senators from the South-South had lost confidence in the leadership of Oyofo as the chief whip of the Senate and the chairman of the South-South caucus and that �he stands removed.� Apart from Oyofo, four other senators did not sign the removal notice. Three were absent from the sitting that day. Only Felix Ibru called for a truce. Those absent were Oserheimen Osunbor, Patrick Osakwe and Greg Ngaji.
And so Oyofo went down. Udoma stepped in. With his fall, a precedent had been set. Other zones may copy the South-South. But Oyofo has refused to give up. He is fighting back using his connections within the party, especially his relationship with the acting Chairman of the party�s Board of Trustees, Chief Anthony Anenih.
