Between Borno Assembly and Senator Ali Ndume

Bodunrin Kayode in Maiduguri dwells on the recent altercation between the Borno State House of Assembly and the former Senate Leader, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, leading to a 30-day shutdown of the state legislature.

It was an abnormal scene to see a lawmaker of the state House of Assembly engaging in fisticuffs with a member of the Nigerian Senate, the red chamber. This is because their paths hardly cross, since the Senator is by far a senior stakeholder compared to the state lawmaker.

But it happened in Maiduguri, Borno State capital that a former Senate Leader, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume got embroiled in altercations, leading to fisticuffs and eventual allegation that he slapped a member of the State House of Assembly. The reaction from the House was to announce a one month shutdown of the chamber in protest.

The recent abnormal shut down of the Borno State House of Assembly by the members was the first in the history of the House of Assembly. It came up as an insignia of a big time fight to protest for at least a month against Senator Ndume who they were told assaulted one of their own. Although there had been other reported cases of alleged assault on members of the State Assembly by some hoodlums in recent past, the lawmakers appeared incensed at the attack credited to Senator Ndume and instantly decided to suspend sitting.

At its sitting on October 26, the House was told that Senator Ndume slapped one of its own, Honourable Habu Daja-Ali, representing Damboa State Constituency. House spokesman, Hon. Kaltume Jaffar, who gave the details of the alleged assault said that the House had resolved to write a letter to the Governor Kashim Shettima, the Inspector-General of Police and Senate President Bukola Saraki to investigate the alleged assault and to ensure justice. The resolution did not make any reference to the Commissioner of Police in the state, who should have immediately investigated the alleged assault to determine the veracity of the alleged assault.

The House at the sitting resolved to shut down for at least a month to ensure that the alleged assault on their member by Ndume is redressed.

The House had actually sat on that fateful day with a determination to put an end to the series of attacks on its members and for whom nothing had been done to assuage their pains and fear.

Hon. Kaltume Jaffar told the Nigerian Tribune that members of the House indeed had not sat for two weeks before the newspaper visited.

Though some members of the public hold the belief that the work to rule by the House would appear unfair in view of the pains the state is already going through as a result of insurgency, the lawmakers stuck to their guns, insisting that justice must be done to their members.

Details of house resolution

Details of the resolution received from the House indicated that the Ndume attack was not the first against a member of the House this year. House spokesman, stated that assault on members this year actually started with the attack on Hon. Saleh-Banga, representing Kwaya Kusar constituency in the House. He was said to have been involved in the voters card registration exercise going on in the state and met his attackers at his local government area he represents. A fracas ensued and he was said to have been beaten blue black and left for dead. He said that those who attacked him left him for dead did not know that there was still some life left in him and as a result, he was revived by some passers-by who took him to the hospital. From the local hospital in Borno, he was taken to Kano for further treatment where a source told the Nigerian Tribune that he spent about three months recuperating from his injury which needed Orthopaedic attention.

Added to that is the alleged attack by Ndume on the member representing Damboa, he said.

Question marks on the Kwayar Kusar Brouhaha

There are many questions being raised on the said attack on a member in the Kwayar-Kusar axis. Some stakeholders questioned why the House member did not report the assault to the police for instance? Was the issue related to the 2019 campaign?

These questions came to the fore following the claims and counter-claims by two groups that briefed newsmen on the matter at the NUJ Centre, Maiduguri,  two weeks ago.

Police spokesman, Victor Isuku, a DSP however told the Nigerian Tribune that the Kwayar Kusar matter was messed up by the very residents of the town who he said refused to co-operate with detectives who wanted to do their job. He said that when the signal got to police headquarters, the men of the State investigation Bureau were mobilized to get to the place and investigate and possibly get the suspects to Maiduguri for further profiling. “But each time they got to the place, they would be frustrated by the very people of the town. They knew how to pass the word round and before you know it, the main culprits would disappear from the town,” he said.

The Nigerian Tribune gathered that the case has been left hanging by the Police since it appears that perpetrators of the alleged assault against the House member were said to be nowhere to be found.

In Ndume’s case, Police spokesman said he was not   aware of any signal indicating any assault on a House member from Damboa Constituency by the Senator.  He said it was apparent no one wrote to the Police command. He said the complainants apparently wanted to write to the Inspector-General of Police whom they believe would send neutral detectives to find out the true situation of things as many of them possibly lack confidence in the State Police Command.

It is looking complex how the whole issue would be amicably resolved.

The incident involving Ndume was said to have started like a family affair. Ndume, as the most senior political figure in his constituency was said to have invited his Damboa people to his home for a meeting.

According to Mustapha Damboa, a grassroots politician in the area, Ndume would not have reacted angrily if some of the thugs that accompanied some politicians to the meeting had not smoke weed and acted in ways that got the Senator angry.

Damboa said at the NUJ premises recently: “But as you heard our leader Mustapha Gumsuri speak during the conference, Ndume never slapped the man. He was angry quite alright that the ‘thug’ in question called him names and questioned his integrity as a result, he turned to Daja-Ali and pointed at him and questioned him for bringing rude thugs to shame him in his own house.

“I don’t know how that has become assault in the realm of partisan politics? They were only trying to provoke the senator knowing that he has served his six months suspension and his enemies do not want him to return to the Senate.

Speaking in Hausa Language, he escalated the issue to the politics of Abuja saying: “We do not know why that Saraki of a man seems to hate our senator so much. He orchestrated his suspension and deprived us of representation for six months.

“The man has finished the wrong punishment for asking him to clear himself of corruption charges as alleged in a newspaper publication, now that it is time for him to go back they are denying us our right for representation  That alone is enough to make the senator angry.”

Governor Shetimma to the rescue

There is really no time to be wasted in a state already basterdised by insurgents said Gumsuri while responding to reporters’ questions at the NUJ Press Centre on Lagos Street. Sources in the State House of Assembly Service Commission who are not happy with the decision of the members to down tools told the Nigerian Tribune that they were optimistic members will soon come back to work even though two weeks of idleness have gone by.

As at the time of writing this report almost all the management staff and aggrieved members were said to be in Abuja where Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima was reconciling them.

The former Senate leader, Ali Ndume, has also not been seen in his GRA Damboa road home for some time. Though he denied the allegation that he slapped a House member, members of the State Assembly have vowed not to resume sitting until he placates them.

A reliable source however told newsmen in Maiduguri that Governor Shettima was particularly unhappy about the alleged assault.

The source said that political leaders in the state cannot afford to live in a divided house in view of the enormous challenges confronting the state.

According to the source, the Governor is really worried that if the feuding parties do not sheath their swords, some permanent cracks could be created in the state chapter of the APC which could affect his own political career beyond 2019.

It was learnt that Shettima actually summoned a meeting to resolve the crisis, and find ways to avert future recurrence as 2019 gets close.

At the said meeting, sources said that Ndume again denied slapping Daja-Ali, while the Governor was said to have called for calm and asked parties to move forward. Another source said that the lawmakers agreed to withdraw plans to write a letter of protest to the Senate against Ndume which was part of the resolutions of the House before they suspended sitting. The lawmakers were also said to have pledged to work together for the larger interest of the party in the state. In spite of the settlement initiated by Governor Kashim Shettima, the House was yet to call off its strike as at press time. All eyes are on the lawmakers to see when they would resume their weekly sessions which only holds on Tuesdays and Thursdays.