El-Rufai: Obasanjo Pleads for Time
Senators adamant, insist on going the whole hug
From Kola Ologbondiyan in Abuja
President Olusegun Oba-sanjo yesterday wrote the Senate a fresh letter requesting for, "greater understanding, patience and time" to consider all the implications of its request that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, be removed for allegedly describing Senators as "fools".
But the Senate after about two-hours closed session during which the letter was debated resolved "not to go back on its words." It also set up a committee which has the Senate Deputy Majority Leader, Senator Jonathan Zwingina, as chairman, to respond to Obasanjo's letter. While suspending the 2004 Budget Performance Oversight which would have started yesterday.
The President had in a six-paragraph letter dated September 2 and addressed to the Senate President Chief Adolphus Wabara, acknowledged the "receipt of your letter NASS/1017/VOL.X/83 of August 31, 2004 titled "Complaint Against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory - Malam Nasir El-Rufai and to thank you for your letter."
"In considering your letter, I note two aspects - the constitutional function of the Senate through its Committee on Public Accounts, and the unsavoury and unwarranted language of the said Minister against the Senators.
"The report of the Committee on Public Accounts has got to my hand and I want to assure the Senate that appropriate corrective actions will be taken," Obasanjo stated.
Continuing, the president stated that, "in my capacity as the President of Nigeria, I have responsibility, among others, to protect the integrity of the Senate, the National Assembly and all democratic institutions to nurture and strengthen our fledgling democracy. In this regard, I take serious view of the language of the said Minister as I earlier reflected in my letter of August 31, 2004.
"May I also hereby request you and the Distinguished Senate for greater understanding, patience and time for me to consider all the implications of this issue to enable me take appropriate action on your resolution."
Immediately the Senate President completed the announcement segment of the Order Paper during which Obasanjo's letter was read, the Senate Leader, Senator Dalhatu Sarki Tafida (PDP, Kaduna) moved that "the house go into a closed session to discuss issues of very serious importance." But before Tafida's motion would get a secondment, senators responded by shouting "No!".
Wabara, however, called on the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Usman Albishir, to second the motion. As he moved to second the motion, there were murmuring from the minority senators, he then hesitated.
It took a second recognition from Wabara before Albshir seconded the motion.
Wabara however remarked that, "it's customary to discuss issues of national importance at closed session. I expected that since it's our tradition, rather than shouting No! to what we don't even know, I crave your indulgence that we hold the closed session.".
He then put the question on whether to hold the closed session and ruled in favour of the closed session.
THISDAY gathered that during the closed session, senators arrived at an understanding that Obasanjo is a disciplined President who in his letter acknowledged the gravity of el-Rufai's utterances and for this, "we refused to push him (Obasanjo) to the wall by giving a fresh ultimatum on when to sack el-Rufai."
One of the minority senators from the South-west was said to have remarked that: "choose thou Mr. President whom thou will work with. Is it the Senate or el-Rufai," and added that, "it is completely out of place for Obasanjo to be apologising on behalf of a minister who has not in any way shown remorse for the vitriolic utterances he used against the Senate."
The Senate was said to have also resolved that the President is painting an air of "indispensability" around the Minister and as a result maintained its stand that Obasanjo has to sack el-Rufai.
The body could, however, not agree at the session whether to continue to put all executive bills on hold if by next week the President failed to act in respect of the resolution that the minister be sacked. The decision on the question was deferred to next week.
At the close of the session at about 2.10pm, Wabara, in reporting the progress made said the Senate at the closed session set up a committee to respond to Obasanjo's letter as well as another committee on press relations.
He named the members of the Committee to respond to the President's letter as Zwingina (Chairman); the Senate Committee on Inter-parliamentary Matters Chairman, Senator Uche Chukwumerije (PDP, Abia); and, Chairman, the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Code of Conduct, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora.
The press relations committee, whose responsibility it is to lay in the court of public opinion the Senator Mamman Ali's Public Accounts Committee report which directed el-Rufai to refund salaries paid to his special assistants whose appointments did not follow civil service procedure, has the Senate Committee on Housing, Senator Ike Ekweremadu (PDP, Enugu) as Chairman, Yari Gandi (ANPP, Sokoto) as well as the Senate Committee on Internal Affairs Chairman, Senator Abubakar Sodangi (PDP, Nassarawa) as members.
Speaking at an interactive session with newsmen at the end of the closed session, Ekweremadu said the Zwingina committee has the mandate of the Senate "to respond to Obasanjo's letter appropriately and I believe the committee would listen to the President in respect of time but we must emphasise that the Senate has decided not to go back on its words."
"We are resolute. We are determined. We will not blink and we will see the end of this matter because what we are trying to do is to protect the institution which we represent today. Every Senator represents about one million people. Therefore, when you insult the institution, you are insulting the entire Nigerians. We will not accept this as a body representing our people.
"We decided therefore to get to the root of the matter to ensure the Minister is relieved of his job as a lesson to everybody that we mean what we have said. We are prepared to go the whole length of this matter.
"We will as a matter of fact continue to discuss, continue to co-operate with the Executive arm of government to ensure this country is moved forward. This is the decision we have taken. We will not confront the President. We will not confront the Federal Government. We will give them all maximum co-operation but on account of our matter with the FCT Minister, we are determined to save our integrity and to ensure that Nigerians continue to respect their elders.
"This is the value we inherited from our forebears and we will continue to maintain them and hand over to the next generation. We will present you with the details of the report of the Public Accounts Committee for Nigerians to be able to judge whether the Senate was witch-hunting the Minister or we were doing our job in accordance with the constitution."
Expressing appreciation to the House of Representatives and "entire Nigerians" for their support, Ekweremadu said, "the quality of men and women in the Senate includes former governors, Vice Chancellors, former ambassadors and one Minister just chose to rubbish their records."
Commenting earlier on the outcome of the closed session, Senator Kanti Bello (ANPP, Katsina) told newsmen that "what we are saying is that we would come here next Tuesday and keep hammering on Mr. President. The Public Accounts Committee report would be given to the press and the whole world to see why we are quarreling with el-Rufai because people have to know why we are quarreling with him.
"The man paid out N10m to some people and he was indicted. He said there is nothing wrong with that and as far as we are concerned, we are going to make the public know. But our stand is still firm, no shaking, el-Rufai must go," Bello said.
Meanwhile, a Non Governmental Organisation operating under the aegis of People's Forum, Abuja, and committed to promoting accord, peace and justice among the good people of the FCT, has described the call for el-Rufai's removal as "hasty and over-reaction."
According to a statement signed by the group's Secretary General, Alhaji Shittu Mohammed, and made available to newsmen in Abuja, the group urged "the Senate to accept President Obasanjo's apology and caution to el-Rufai and allow the FCT Minister to continue with his good work of making Abuja to be one of the best planned, clean and attractive capital cities in the world."
Noting that "every resident of the FCT, and indeed every Nigerian, could appreciate the positive and bold steps being taken by el-Rufai to transform Abuja into a modern capital city we would all be proud of," the group said "these fundamental reforms, no doubt, require a selfless, courageous and patriotic citizen like el-Rufai to accomplish."
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