…As Hon. Gbillah presents petition to House
By Gabriel Atumeyi
365Daily – Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has explained that his deputy, Hon. Idris Wase, was misunderstood on his comments concerning a petition addressed to the House by the Mutual Union of Tiv in America.
The Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase, On March 10, 2021,stopped the lawmaker representing Gwer-East/Gwer-West Federal Constituency in Benue State, Hon. Mark Gbillah, from laying the petition before the House, and in the process, made comments that inflamed the Diasporan community.
Wase claimed that the group lacked locus standi to write a petition on happenings within the country and asked if the association was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
Despite attempts by Gbillah to explain the House had a precedence of receiving petitions from Nigerians in Diaspora, the Deputy Speaker said he was not convinced that Nigerians in America could protest against insecurity in Benue State, and rules that the House would not admit the petition.
However, the petition was received by the Speaker of the House in plenary on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, after it was again presented by Hon. Gbillah.
In his remark before moving for the petition to be laid, Gbajabiamila said, “The House of Representatives does not discriminate against anyone, wherever the remotest part we may be, we remain Nigerians.
”I think the misunderstanding came from the issue of signatures, and I must say that the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Ahmed Wase has been one of the champions for Diaspora voting and was also involved very much in the creation of the Diaspora committee in this house some years back.
”So I think it’s clearly a misunderstanding. Please, go ahead and lay the petition, and it will be given proper and due attention.
The petition was referred to the Committee on Public Petitions for necessary legislative action.