Hon. Gazali Abubakar Wunti
By Akanji Alowolodu, Bauchi
The Senate President, Speaker, House of Representatives as well as speakers of states houses of assembly in Nigeria have been challenged to for once be courageous enough to invoke the constitutional provisions of declaring vacant seat of any member who defects to another political party for no justified reasons.
This according to the member representing Ganjuwa East in the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Gazali Wunti will check the unnecessary jumping around from one political party to another by politicians thereby causing confusion in the polity.
He also opined that if such steps are taken by whoever is the Senate or Speaker, it will serve as deterrent to others who may have such intention in order to sanitize the polity and instill political discipline in the political class.
Gazali Abubakar Wunti who was speaking with our Correspondent on Saturday said that, “The issue is a constitutional matter but those the law allowed to make such declaration are shying away from their responsibility. The situation is going out of hand and something must be done urgently to stop the tide”.
Making reference to the recent decamping of some APC members in the Assembly to the ruling PDP in the state, the lawmaker said that, though it is their personal right to do so, it must be done in line with the provisions of the law.
He said that, “in Bauchi APC, there is no crisis to warrant the action taken by the members. But, since they have decamped, the honorable thing for them to do is to vacate their seats to the APC, in the alternative, the Speaker should have declared the seats vacant but he has not done so, we don’t know his reasons for keeping quiet”.
Speaking further, the Chairman of the Information Committee of the House said that, “as you know, the APC is the majority in the House and we have cooperated with the PDP led executive in the last two years. You are witnessing the support given to enable the administration execute projects across the state, why then should the executive poach our members? “
He alleged that,”The PDP government has been inducing and coercing our members to join PDP. Why are they trying to cause confusion in the House, why can’t they face their executive business and allow us to concentrate in the business of legislation?”
Gazali Abubakar Wunti added that,”as a legislator you don’t have to belong to the same party with the Governor before projects are executed in your Constituency, both the Governor, his Deputy and members of the House were elected by various constituents who are expecting dividends of democracy irrespective of political parties affiliation”.
He, however assured that, “the development in the House will not stop us (APC members) from continuing to do our legislative work and oversight functions, where things are wrong, we will speak out, that is our resolve because our focus is Bauchi State not an individual”.
