Thursday 3 April 2014

National Conference Delegates Oppose Withdrwal of Power of Committee Members


National Conference Delegates Oppose Withdrawal of Power of Committee Members


 
Delegates at the ongoing National Conference in Abuja have opposed the decision of their principal officers to withdraw the power of committee members to select their chairmen and deputies.

Speaking to reporters before the plenary, Mr Abdulwaheed Omar, the Spokesperson for the aggrieved delegates, said thwarting a decision already agreed by delegates was not acceptable.

In his words, “This decision was concluded by delegates at the plenary, only for it to resurface through the Committee of 50, who are only mandated to talk about the voting pattern.

“The leadership of the Conference is using the Committee of 50 to come up with something they were not originally mandated to discuss and we are saying this is the beginning of a dangerous pattern.”

Omar declared that if the trend was allowed to continue, there might be such developments in the course of the Conference, which might not achieve the desired outcome of the Conference.

He observed, “We are afraid if we go by this trend, only God knows what other things will be manipulated again in the same way.

“We are saying we have to practice democracy and we are demanding that this decision be reversed so that we will go back to the popular decision.

“In 2005, it was the committees that selected their leaders, why will it be different this time?”

It would be recalled that on March 20, an amendment to the Rule was proposed at the Conference that committee members should select their chairmen and deputy chairmen from among themselves.

Arguments for and against the proposal were canvassed by many delegates and when the Conference Chairman, Retired Justice Idris Kutigi put it into a voice vote, the ‘ayes’ had it.

But, the leadership of the Conference, on Monday, rescinded the power it gave the delegates to appoint their chairmen and vice chairmen at the committee level, following a motion by Hon. Muhammed Kumalia (North-East) that the position taken on Order XII of the Draft Rules of Procedure be rescinded.

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