Cheers, Ovation As Tambuwal Appears At The National Assembly In Abuja

The embattled Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, today was ushered into the National Assembly Complex Abuja with an unprecedented ovation and cheers by the members of House of Representatives during his surprise appearance at a one-day public hearing on a bill intended to repeal the Audit Act of 1956 and enact the Audit Act of 2014.

Tambuwal drove himself to the National Assembly Complex without any escort or security detail accompanying him. Last week, the Nigerian Police redeployed the security personnel attached to the office of the Speaker, citing Section 68 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, following the defection of Tambuwal from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the principal opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC).

Tambuwal was received by the Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Solomon Adeola Olamilekan, in the company of other members of the committee and stakeholders. He was applauded by members of this group for his courage and perseverance despite the apparent victimization and persecution by the police and the Presidency over his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).


The situation, and plans by the ruling party to reconvene the House without Tambuwal, compelled members of the All Progressives Congress House of Representatives caucus to file a suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja. The court granted an injunction restraining the PDP from reconvening the House just as it maintained that the power to reconvene the House rest with the Speaker. The House is expected to reconvene on 3rd December 2014.

Below is the full text of the statement Tambuwal made to declare open today’s programme:
THE OPENING ADDRESS BY THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AT THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR GENERAL FOR THE FEDERATION BILL, 2014 (HB 732) HELD ON TUESDAY 4™ NOVEMBER, 2014 AT THE CONFERENCE ROOM 028, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX, ABUJA.
[PROTOCOL]
It is my pleasure to formally welcome you all to the National Assembly. I commend you for finding time out of your busy schedules to honour our invitations to participate in this public hearing on "A bill for an Act for the establishment of the Office of the Auditor General for the Federation, Audit Service Commission, Additional Powers and Functions of Auditor General for Matters connected therewith"'.
This public hearing is organized primarily for two reasons:
1. To provide a platform for you members of the public to make your inputs on the bill, and
2. To allow we Parliamentarians to gather information that may form our inputs on the bill.
As parliamentarians, it is our constitutional mandate to make laws for the peace and the good governance of the country. The legal mandate to make law does not necessarily guaranty the making of good laws. For Parliament to enact good laws, it is necessary for Parliament to consult with all the stakeholders, relevant experts and the general public. Besides, it is not enough for us as Parliamentarians to follow the constitutional procedures and processes of enacting laws. As the peoples' representatives, it is necessary that laws enacted by the National Assembly are not only valid but legitimate as well. It is the general acceptance by you the members of the public of the laws enacted by us that confer the status of the legitimacy on such laws. This aspect of law making cannot be ignored by any responsible Parliament. As we gather here, we may differ in opinions and background but we share something in common, that is how to make the bill before us a law that will not only be effective now but will withstand the test of time. Without pre-empting you, let me guide you by asking the following questions:
•       Is the purpose of this bill clearly defined?
•       Is the provision of the bill consistent with its purpose?
•       Is the purpose and provisions of the bill consistent with the 1999
Constitution or our international obligations?
•       Is the subject matter of the bill within the purview of the legislative competence of the National Assembly?
•       Is the language and drafting style of the bill clear and comprehensible to the ordinary man on the street?
•       Is it feasible to implement the provisions of this bill?
•       Is the bill acceptable to the public?
•       Is the bill in line with the international best practices?
These questions do not exhaust the issues but I am sure if you can provide answers to these questions at this public hearing, then the bill before us shall become a valid and legitimate law.
Ladies and gentlemen at this point I will like to formally-declare this public hearing open.
Once again, I welcome you all.