Reps turn down motion on Information Bill again

The House of Representatives once again on Thursday suspended legislative action on the Freedom of Information (FoI) Bill.

By a voice vote and pursuant to Order XV, Rule 8 of the House Standing Rules, the members had committed the bill to the Committee of the Whole for consideration in November 2007. However, since then, the lawmakers have rejected attempts to discuss the bill about seven times.

Titled, "A Bill for an Act to make Public Records and Information More Freely Available, Provide for Public Access to Public Records and Information, Protect Public Records and Information to the extent consistent with Public Interest and the Protection of Personal Privacy, Protect Serving Public Officials from Adverse Consequences for Disclosing Certain Kinds of Information without Authorisation and Established Procedure for Achievement of those Purposes and Related Purposes Thereof, 2007," the bill was passed early 2007, but former President Olusegun Obasanjo refused assent to it.

Speaker stands down motion

Although, a motion to rescind the decision of the House was listed on the order paper yesterday, it was stood down on the orders of the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, who said it was listed on the notice paper for the week.

The motion was listed against the chairman of the House committee on rules and business, Ita Enang, and 16 other members, who relied on Order 9, Rule 1 of the House Standing Order, to sponsor it. The members are Aminu Musa, Fatima Rasaki, Sam Tsokwa, Bala Ibn Na'Allah, Aminu Musa Koko, Shuaibu Abdullah, Samson Osagie, Emmanuel Adedeji and Bala Adamu Kuta. Others are Dave Salako, Emmanuel Jime, Eziuche Ubani, Mulikat Adeola, Muraina Ajibola, Adeogun Abiodun and Abba Lawan.

They claimed that several members have requested that the motion be brought, to rescind the earlier decision and recommit it to the Joint Committee on Information and National Orientation and Justice for proper scrutiny of the bill.

"The need has arisen for the House to revisit the said decision on the bill in the public interest," they said.

No discussion on defections

Also on Thursday, Mr. Bankole overruled the opposition who challenged the defection of two members to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Abdulkarim Saliu and Suleiman Kokori Abdul, both from Kogi State, had at the beginning of the session announced their defection from the Action Congress to the PDP.

But, referring to Section 68 of the 1999 Constitution, the deputy minority leader, Suleiman Kawu, challenged the action of the two lawmakers, saying there is no division in the Action Congress that could have warranted their defection.

Mr. Kawu, a member of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) from Kano said Messrs Saliu and Abdul should cease to be members of the House, having left the party on whose platform they were elected into the legislature.

But just as he spoke, members of the PDP who are in majority were murmuring and shouting at him.

Mr. Bankole, while ruling on the matter, said he did not understand why the deputy minority leader challenged the defection since he is not a member of the AC and also because the Supreme Court had already ruled on the issue of defection.

"If you were a member of AC, I would have understood. Probably, you are doing this because you are a principal officer. You are a second-time member of this House. This is not the first time, not the second time this is happening here.

Decision has been taken on this by the Supreme Court. If you have issues on this you can go to court," Mr. Bankole told Mr. Kawu.

Attempts by the minority leader, Mohammed Ali Ndume, to raise further objection were resisted by the Speaker, who insisted that he had ruled on the matter.