Baring any unforeseen development that may affect the rescheduled resumption date, all is now set for the House of Representatives to reconvene next Tuesday.

Already, the Leo Ogor-led minority caucus in the House has raised the alarm declaring that the delay in the resumption of legislative business is having a negative impact on the National Assembly and “becoming very embarrassing.” Ogor, representing Ikoko North/Isoko South Federal Constituency of Delta State, at a news conference on recently warned that the caucus will no longer tolerate any further postponement, adding that the next Tuesday, was not negotiable.

“The new resumption day, we want to state with all emphasis, should be a day that is non- negotiable because resumption must take place on that day. “We are ready to work, we were elected to come and legislate for our people and there are lot of issues that have started having some negative impact, even in the society,” he said.

The Senate and the House of Representatives extended the date for resumption of plenary sessions, which was earlier scheduled for Tuesday, July 21.

The postponement became imperative because of the crisis rocking the National Assembly, especially the House of Representatives, over the choice of legislators that will clinch the principal positions of the lower national legislative house.

Plenary session was adjourned at both chambers of the National Assembly on Thursday, June 25, particularly in the House of Representatives as fallout of the fracas that ensued on the floor of the House between members of the All Progressives Congress loyal to the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, and those loyal the Femi Gbajabiamila faction.

Members are now expected to resume July 28. However, the leadership crisis rocking the House may not have been settled as the two factions, the Consolidation group loyal to the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara and the Loyalist group backing the former Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila are still at daggers drawn as both parties have all stuck to their guns with no sign of retreat or surrender in sight.

It would be recalled that hardly had the crisis thawed after the emergence of the principal officers, the House again nosedived, as the group backing the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara rejected the directive of the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the sharing of the principal positions in the lower legislative chamber.

Minus the Speaker and Deputy Speaker who are already settled as presiding officers, the four other principal offices that have continued to factionalize the APC-led Chamber are; House Majority Leader, Deputy Majority Leader, Chief Whip, and Deputy Chief Whip respectively.

Recall that the APC which proposed the sharing of principal officers’ positions of the National Assembly had at its National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Working Committee (NWC) meeting presided by President Mohammadu Buhari stressed that it is incumbent on all members to respect party supremacy on issues bothering on power sharing and governance.

Specifically, the APC leadership had in a correspondence to the Speaker, specifically proposed Femi Gbajabiamila (South West) as House Leader, Ado Doguwa (North West)-Deputy House Leader, Pally Iriase (South South)-Chief Whip, and Mohammed Tahir Mungonu (North East) as Deputy Chief Whip respectively.

But rising from the outcome of a meeting it held with the Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal-led reconciliation committee, spokesman of the group in support of Speaker Dogara, Dr Abdulmumini Jibrin insisted that the letter purportedly transmitted to the House by the APC Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun prescribing the distribution of the principal offices of the Chamber was not acceptable by the group, claiming it did not pass through the relevant legal organs of the party.

Jubrin said his group was ready to concede only the position of the House Leader to the Femi Gbajabiamila-led group, adding that other zones, except the South West and North East should be allowed to produce the Majority Leader of the Chamber in the interest of equity and in line with the federal character principle.

He however submitted that if the Femi Gbajabiamila group do not accept the terms of the concession on the position of the Majority Leader, then an election must be held on the floor to choose who occupies the office.

This, according to him “ is important in line with our strong believe in the principle of equity and federal character as enshrined in the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria.”

But the Loyalists group has maintained that the party’s position on the sharing of principal office positions must be sustained.

The group argues that it smacks of mischief that the Dogara group has chosen to play the zoning card after same group had hitherto before the speakership election of June 9th, 2015 rejected the zoning formula of the party prior to the mock election.

A statement issued by Alhaji Rufai Chachangi on behalf of the group noted: “We the 174 APC Loyalists group of the House are aware that there was a private discussion between Gov. Aminu Tambuwal and President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday evening at the State House.

Also aware that Gov. Tambuwal briefed the press that there would be a meeting between him and Speaker  Dogara’s group same day.

To the best of our knowledge, no counter-offer has been made to the APC Loyalists group after her first meeting with Tambuwal peace committee wherein the APC Loyalists clearly stated that in line with party supremacy resolution reached at last APC NEC meeting, the position of the party on Femi Gbajabiamila as the House Leader is non negotiable.

We understand that the Dogara group is now playing the zoning card after same group had hitherto before the speakership election of June 9th, 2015 rejected the zoning formula of the party prior to the mock election.  Interestingly the six geopolitical zones in the country are not recognised by the constitution.

But if they wish to play the zoning card then the Senate and House cannot be headed by the North.  “For avoidance of doubt, the issue of South East being denied a principal officer’s seat in the House is hogwash.

We have respect for people of South East, but we cannot hold brief for a zone that produced only two “new” APC members. The issue of exclusion of South East does not exist, rather they are not qualified to be principal officers of the House.

For emphasis and clarity the provision of standing rules of the House, Order 7 Rule 37 states that  “Only members with cognate legislative experience as members of the national assembly shall be eligible for appointment as principal officers.”

Meanwhile, The Guardian gathered that when the House resumes next week, Tuesday, several burning national issues including the arrest and detention of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col Sambo Dasuki for alleged treasonable felony, the Chief Security Officer to former president Goodluck Jonathan and Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Delta states by the DSS, among others will form the fulcrum of discussions on the floor of the parliament.

On the whole what is clear is that the crisis is far from over, and unless wise counsel prevail on the warring parties, another clash is imminent as the House resumes next Tuesday.