A crack capable of affecting the outcome of the National Conference became apparent Thursday when delegates from the organised labour rejected the decision of the conference secretariat to strip delegates of powers to appoint chairmen and deputy chairmen of various committees at the conference.
Labour delegates, led by the National President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Abdulwaheed Omar addressed journalists at the precincts of the conference demanding the restoration of the original decision of the delegates at the plenary session, which is that committees should choose their leaders.
It will be recalled that delegates had at the plenary on March 24, voted against the report of the 50-man consensus committee on the powers to appoint committee chairmen, but instead empowered the committees to appoint their own leadership.
The delegates only allowed principal officers of the conference to constitute the committees. Delegates were also allowed to select three of the 20 approved committees to serve in.
While announcing the alteration, Conference Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi, had explained that the change became necessary after it was observed that there was need to ensure that committee headship achieved geo-political and gender spread.
He said it was important to guard against the possibility of having delegates from a particular geopolitical zone head the committees. He also said that allowing the conference leadership to appoint headship of the committees will create room for women and the physically challenged to also be part of the committee leadership, while allowing for competencies to be upheld.
However, while addressing a press conference yesterday at the media centre of the conference, leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and Civil Society Organisations represented by Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama and Femi Falana (SAN) respectively, distanced itself from the decision and accused the conference leadership of manipulation.
The group said the press conference became necessary after a letter of protest by the organised labour to the National Conference, objecting to the change was ignored.
According to Omar, the protest letter that was forwarded by the organised labour ought to have been read before the delegates, but it was not.
Stating grounds for the protest, Comrade Omar said: “The decision for committees to select/elect their officers was validly and unanimously arrived at on March 24, 2014 and ought not to be changed without recourse to the general house.
“The committee of 50 acted in violation of their brief since their mandate was to determine what should constitute a majority vote in the absence of a consensus and not to do other things. Yet, the same committee acting, in concert with the conference leadership reversed the decision on the election or selection of committee chairmen and their deputies.
“The conference’s recommendations on the issue of presiding officers of the committees therefore cannot, and should not, stand. This scenario of a few privileged people tinkering with the decision of a whole house is nothing but dictatorship and tyranny of a few. If it is allowed to stand, it may become a feature of the conference. One of the reasons for convening this conference is to deepen democracy and not to reinforce impunity.
“The reversal of the right of the committees to elect/select their officers directly is an affront to democracy as well as a violation of the right of delegates to freely choose their presiding officers.
“We must warn that this seemingly innocuous act sends out dangerous signals and is capable of raising credibility issues in subsequent decisions,” organised labour said in the statement.
In an attempt to clarify the issue, the Media and Communications arm of the national conference said the chairman was in order.
He said it would be recalled that Under Order VI (6) the Secretariat had proposed that: “The Chairman shall, in consultation with the Deputy Chairman and Secretary, appoint Chairmen and Deputy Chairmen of Committees and that the chairman shall have the powers to review the performance of the chairmen and committees and remove them in consultation with the deputy chairman.
In a statement signed by the Assistant Secretary, Media and Communication, Mr. Akpandem James, during the discussion of the draft Rules of Procedure, delegates amended that Order to read that “members of the committees shall elect the chairmen and deputy chairmen of their respective committees and that members of the respective committees shall have the powers to review the performance of the chairmen and deputy Chairmen of the committees and remove them in consultation with the chairman of the conference.
“It was subsequently agreed at the meeting of Thursday, March 28, 2014, that the principal officers of the conference should handle the matter for the sake of achieving spread and competence. It was decided that the decision should be taken to the plenary on Monday March 31, 2014, for ratification.
“At the resumed sitting on Monday, March 31, 2014 after the adoption of the position on the voting pattern, Hon. Mohammed Umaru Kumaila moved a follow-up motion from the Consultative Meeting to allow principal officers of the conference select chairmen and Deputy Chairmen of the proposed Committees to reflect competence, federal character and equity. Hon. Orok Otu Duke seconded the motion.
“A counter motion was moved by Comrade Ebuchukwu Ezike that the earlier decision reached by the conference to allow delegates select chairmen/deputy chairmen of committees be retained. Jaye Gaskiya seconded it.
“At that point, the Deputy Chairman of Conference, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, put both motions to voice vote. Delegates voted to retain Order VI (6) as earlier proposed, to the effect that Principal Officers of the Conference select Chairmen and Deputy Chairmen of the Committees to reflect spread and competence.
“A motion to adopt the Procedure Rules as amended was subsequently moved by Dr. Hannatu Ibrahim and seconded by Ambassador Adamu Aliyu. The Conference adopted the Procedure Rules as proposed and amended.
“The votes and proceedings for March 31, 2014 when the amendment was made, which clearly stated the issue in question, was read on the floor of the conference on Tuesday, April 1, 2014 and there was no delegate that raised any issue regarding the amendment as contained in the votes of proceedings of March 31, 2014,” the statement said.
