Yemi Obafemi
Former Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has described the dispute between Senators Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Godswill Akpabio as a case of miscommunication.
The former lawmaker emphasized the need to uphold the House rules, which apply equally to both men and women, stressing that is the sitting arrangement is ‘Not A Gender Issue’.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily program on Wednesday, Shaibu stated that the seats and offices of federal lawmakers are privileges rather than entitlements. He emphasized that lawmakers must engage in lobbying to secure these positions.
His words: “Interestingly, Natasha is my friend. Senator Akpabio, the president of the Senate, is my political leader.
“There are rules guiding the House. When I was in the National Assembly, it was the prerogative of the leadership of the House to allocate office and to allocate seats, and in the House, there is what is called lobbying; you lobby for everything.
“For you to have a good office when you come in, maybe because of my experience as a two-term member of Edo State House of Assembly, when I came to Abuja from day 1, I went quickly to lobby, to check the kind of offices that they have areas and locations.
“I was able to lobby to have my office close to where I wanted it, I was able to hurriedly lobby for where I wanted to sit. Whereas some people who are coming for the first time did not know that you lobby for things like that.
“There are rules; the rules of the House if clear and you must be guided by them, it doesn’t mean whether you are a man or a woman. The rules are meant for the House.
“The issue of seats and offices are a privilege. For me, I don’t think this is a gender thing; I think there is a miscommunication somewhere and we should abide by the rules of the House, and the rules are clear and the rules are not meant for women nor are they meant for men.”
