Trouble (2)

Bankole in trouble as Reps plot against him John Ameh Trouble appears to be brewing in the House of Representatives again as investigations showed on Wednesday that some lawmakers had begun moves to remove the Speaker, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, from office. Bankole. advertisement THE PUNCH learnt that the cause of the latest development was the inability of the majority of the 360-member legislature to secure re-election tickets to the National Assembly. Findings indicated that a call for the speaker's impeachment would have been made as lawmakers reconvened on Tuesday but for the abrupt decision of Bankole to adjourn the House for another two weeks. Sources close to the aggrieved legislators said that they blamed their dismal performance at the primaries of their political parties on Bankole and President Goodluck Jonathan. In the Peoples Democratic Party alone, over 120 lawmakers out of about 260 were unable to secure return tickets. A National Assembly official, who disclosed this to our correspondent in Abuja, pleaded not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the matter.... He said, "The PDP members, in particular, held several meetings with the speaker before the primaries; there was an understanding that he would push for them to secure automatic tickets. "This was supposed to have been discussed with the President and the leadership of the party before the primaries. "It was this understanding that led to their (lawmakers') decision to discontinue the proposal to amend the Electoral Act 2010 by making lawmakers members of the National Executive Committees of their respective political parties." But, rather than protect their interests, the lawmakers are reported to be angry that their respective state governors were allowed to have a free ride during the primaries. An influential member of the House said to be mobilising his colleagues for the impeachment proceedings, reportedly invited 86 "aggrieved legislators" to his Apo Legislative Quarters, Abuja, on Monday, 24 hours to Tuesday's resumption. The lawmakers later moved to a popular hotel in the city, where they allegedly fine-tuned a plot they would have implemented on Tuesday. Our correspondent learnt that Bankole got wind of the plot and hurriedly adjourned the House for two weeks in order to have enough time to calm the aggrieved lawmakers. One of the 83 legislators, who also confirmed the development, said their plot to remove Bankole would continue while their 'forced' vacation lasted. He said, "He (Bankole) must have sensed what was coming; he adjourned the sitting abruptly and took most of us by surprise. "There were several issues on the Order Paper to be considered on Tuesday ; but he simply adjourned the House the moment we passed the bill to amend the Electoral Act to extend the voter registration. "Our meeting will continue during our forced holidays. We are even meeting again tonight (Wednesday night) it is not over until it is over." On Tuesday, while adjourning the plenary, Bankole had explained that it was to allow the various committees to work on the estimates of the 2011 budget. He also said that lawmakers would use the period to monitor the voter registration in their respective constituencies. Among the issues lawmakers are reported to be dusting up to use against Bankole, is the N2.4bn car scam. The case is still before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, though the commission explained last year that it completed the investigation and handed the file over to President Umaru Yar'Adua before he died in May. When contacted, the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Eseme Eyiboh, said he did not understand why Bankole should be the target of the aggrieved lawmakers. According to Eyiboh, the loss of re-election tickets should be treated as political party affair rather than blaming it on particular heads of government institutions. Eyboh also held the view that the lawmakers merely "suffered setbacks at the primaries", not that they lost their bid to return to the House. "The primaries are just a part of the process leading to the emergence of party candidates for the main election; you have complaints to be filed, you have appeals and you have the point where the party finally submits the names of candidates. "It is only when the process is completed that you can say that a particular person has lost or is retained," he stated. Eyiboh admitted being "aware that most members are aggrieved over the setbacks they suffered", but argued that it was a party affair. He, appealed for calm, saying that the leadership of the House and lawmakers must find a solution to the latest tension by resolving to "work as a family."
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"Change grindeth slowly...as slow as the oil that drips dry" One way thinking .


Divisions have emerged within the influential religious establishment, including the religious police body itself, over long-held restrictions that have been enforced in the world's leading oil producing country and key U.S. ally.

An official at the Jeddah court confirmed the filing of the lawsuit for the crime of "openly declaring sin" and said it would take at least one week for the Islamic sharia court to decide whether to proceed with a trial or dismiss the case.

The Saudi judiciary system, based on an austere reading of Islamic sharia law, reserves harsh punishments for such offences that could involve lashes with whip and years of imprisonment.

Aired last month, MTV's "True Life - Resist the Power, Saudi Arabia" followed how three Saudi youths and a heavy metal band cope with the strictures they encounter in their daily life in Jeddah, seen as the kingdom's most liberal city (here).

The kingdom is ruled by the Al Saud family in alliance with clerics from the austere Wahhabi school of Islam who oversee mosques, the judiciary and education, as well as run their own coercive apparatus, the religious police.

Interior ministry police and the religious police work together to make sure unrelated men and women are kept apart, women are covered from head to toe and that sharia law is implemented, including a ban on alcohol.

"We are not free to live as we like," said Aziz, one of the youths who appeared on the MTV show. The episode showed how he tries to meet his girlfriend for a date, a risky endeavor in the kingdom. "I feel great solace when I talk to her."

Fatima, a young Saudi woman, seeks to start a business selling the traditional abaya cloak that women must wear in Saudi Arabia, but in colors other than the standard black.

The show also followed the struggle of a heavy metal band to find venues to play. They explain that when they pray they turn their heavy metal T-shirts inside out to show respect for God.

Saudi rulers have wrestled with whether to moderate Wahhabism since the September 11 attacks in 2001 on U.S. landmarks, carried out by mostly Saudi nationals, and the emergence of al Qaeda militancy against the Saudi government in 2003.

King Abdullah is seen as favoring reforms that water down some of Wahhabism's more controversial tenets. Analysts and diplomats say he is opposed by other senior princes who are closely allied to the powerful religious establishment.

Lawyers following the case fear the first instance court in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah -- where the lawsuit was filed on Monday -- would take the case.

"It will be very difficult to stop the religious clockwork once this gets to court. They may face harsh sanctions like those dealt to Abdul-Jawad," one of the lawyers said.

It is the second time in a year that Saudis got into hot water for appearing on foreign television.

Mazen Abdul-Jawad was sentenced last year to five years in jail, 1,000 lashes and a five-year travel ban after he bragged about his sexual exploits on a TV show aired by Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC).

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