Pam Moses

A Plateau group known as Vanguards Against Enemies of Democracy (VAED) has decribed the Deputy Speaker House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase as a lover of all Nigerians and a detribalized Nigerian.

The group led by their Director of Public Communications Mr Tongzum Barde in a Press Conference in Jos on Thursday expressed dismay over the legislative disputation on procedure between the Deputy Speaker Wase and Hon. Gbilah which has been hijacked by political opportunists.

Full text below;

TEXT OF A PRESS CONFERENCE ORGANIZED BY VANGUARDS AGAINST ENEMIES OF DEMOCRACY (VAED) IN DEFENCE OF NIGERIA DEMOCRACY AS IT AFFECTS THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND THE OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY SPEAKER RT. HON. AHMED IDRIS WASE AGAINST THE ONGOING MEDIA MISCONCEPTION, MISCHIEF, DEFAMATION AND ASSAULT AGAINST  HIS PERSONALITY HELD IN JOS ON 18TH MARCH, 2021.

The media space has been inundated by uncanny vituperations from some elements who claim to be “Nigerians in Diaspora” or identify with such unsubstantiated cause, seeking to hang the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase over a legislative procedural disagreement he had with Hon. Gbilah on the floor of the House, where the Rt. Honourable Deputy Speaker was presiding as Speaker.

We have observed with utmost dismay how a mere legislative disputation on procedure between two parliamentarians, one of which is by far more experienced than the other, has been hijacked by political opportunists, ethnic jingoists and religious bigots masquerading themselves as “Nigerians in Diaspora” or their supporters to spread mischief by turning truth on its head, and as a result, heating up the polity unnecessarily.

It is an indisputable fact, that the Nigeria National Assembly, especially the House of Representatives, has consistently conducted its legislative businesses in the open and has shown its proceedings live on different media platforms. One therefore wonders where the story of ethnic profiling or intolerance emanated from as was claimed to have been publicly exhibited by the Rt. Hon. Deputy Speaker during plenary. This is a lie from the pit of hell!

It is on record, that what took place that fateful day was the Deputy Speaker drawing the attention of his brother-colleague to the inadequacies of his petition as presented on the floor in line with the rules and business proceedings of the House of Representatives. As it is in the House Rule and also known to our laws that every public petition must carry a defined person or traceable entity as the petitioner(s) and must be seen not to portray any form of ambiguity in both its content and nomenclature. It is based on these errors that the Rt. Honourable Deputy Speaker stalled the petition until corrections are made. These were the facts of the matter. At no point during the plenary did the Rt. Honourable Deputy Speaker profiled any ethnic group nor denigrated the very respected Nigerians in Diaspora, a group he strongly supported through the establishment of the Diaspora Commission in the 8th Assembly, which has since been established and headed by Hon. Abike Dabri Erewa.

It is worthy of note, that the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives who also double as the Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament Rt. Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase is a seasoned legislator, a consecutively 4th term Member of the House of Representatives, with nearly 16 years of legislative experience to his credit. He has been a member of the Public Petitions Committee of the House, Chairman of various committees, Deputy Leader of the House and now Deputy Speaker of the House. He is unarguably one of the best members of the House of Representatives from Plateau State and enjoys a wide range of admiration and solidarity from his own people and Nigerians of different tribes and creed. It is therefore uncharitable to single out this detribalized Nigerian, in active service of his fatherland, for media slandering.

We understand that the towering political reputation of the Deputy Speaker Rt. Hon. Wase may be unsettling in some quarters, and therefore they resorted to recruiting different nonexistent and unrecognized groups to tarnish his good image, recruiting gullible and unsuspecting citizens to spread their dark motives across social media platforms. This cannot be accepted and tolerated by members of his Constituency, Nigerian Youths and many respected citizens who have enjoy the stabilization role the Rt Honourable Member has continued to play amongst his colleagues, Nigeria Government and respected Stakeholders both in Nigeria and in Diaspora.

We call on the good citizens of Nigeria in Diaspora to immediately dissociate themselves from the media releases of these unsavoury elements. We recognize the fact that there are some run-away Nigerians in the Diaspora who are bent on setting the country on fire and have always profited from the misfortunes of their compatriots back home. We advise them to note that their antics have been long exposed, and Nigerians at home can never again be misled by their lies.

As advocates of peaceful democratic ideals, we advise the enemies of our nascent democracy to stay clear of ridiculing the progress that we have made as a nation. We are not willing to allow them to return us back to the dark days of anarchy and chaos through their fake news and propaganda. Every right thinking and lover of Nigeria should channel their energy at uniting our people in the face of the current challenges of insecurity we are collectively being confronted by, not to further aggravate them. We will NOT allow them!

We call on the Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives, RT Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, entire leadership of the House of Representatives, Senate President and all members of the National Assembly not to be detracted by mischief makers but be united in standing for the cause of Nigerians at this challenging period of our nation.

We call on the Rt. Hon. Deputy Speaker not to allow his spirit to be dampened by his detractors. He should continue to contribute his quota and bring his experience to bear in uniting Nigerians and enriching our democracy.

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Tongzum Barde

Director of Public Communications

Vanguards Against Enemies of Democracy (VAED).

18th March, 2021

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Reps Deputy Speaker is a lover of all Nigerians, a detribalized Nigerian, says Plateau group