Labour Party lawmakers in the National Assembly and the party’s leadership are on collision course over the party chairman, Julius Abure’s order to the lawmakers to reject the N160m SUVs bubgeted for each lawmaker by the Presidency.
The lawmakers have ignored the advice of the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure, not to be a part of the luxury official vehicles being planned for legislators.
Abure had, in a statement on Monday, said the National Assembly leadership was planning to buy a Sport Utility Vehicle worth N160m for each lawmaker.
Abure, who described the alleged plan as insensitive and condemnable given the dire economic situation in the country, urged lawmakers elected on the platform of the Labour Party not to be a part of the profligate spending.
But when asked on Thursday whether LP lawmakers would do as Abure said, the lawmaker representing Delta Aniocha North and South, Ngozi Okolie, said Abure’s demands were unrealistic particularly because he had yet to provide them with alternatives to carry out their jobs.
The LP lawmaker said, “The SUVs are meant to aid our jobs as lawmakers, particularly as it relates to our oversight functions.
“Yes, he can say that the economy is struggling but having one official vehicle as federal lawmakers isn’t frivolous; it’s a necessity.”
Okolie noted that Nigerians were quick to attack lawmakers over things like this whereas politicians at the state level get more benefits than federal lawmakers.
He said, “Commissioners and House of Assembly members get up to two to three of such cars whereas National Assembly members are only getting one car each, yet he (Abure) is complaining and telling us not to collect it. Does he have any to give to us?
“Is he going to give us work tools to carry out our jobs or does he have an alternative for us? Has Abure told the members in his state in Edo, not to take the official vehicles given to them?”
The lawmaker further argued that it was cheaper to buy those vehicles than hire one every time they needed to go on an oversight.
Similarly, the lawmaker representing Igbo Etiti and Uzo-Uwani constituencies in Enugu State, Stainless Nwodo, said President Bola Tinubu deserved commendation for approving such vehicles for lawmakers.
Nwodo said, “National Assembly members should pray for the President and give him three ‘Gbosas’ for his magnanimity to the lawmakers.
“Nobody in the National Assembly is against the SUV, when the SUV comes, we will collect it and use it to bring more benefits to our constituencies; because in the real sense, it is for the constituents.”
The lawmaker added, “I don’t want to believe the chairman of the party said so, because did he give us any vehicle to do our jobs?
“Attributing his reason to economic hardship is pure blackmail. In the first instance, the vehicle is for each constituency, not the personal vehicle for the members.
“Also, we need these SUVs to ply the bad roads in our constituencies when we need to visit them and deliver goodies to them. This is why the Speaker and the Senate President decided that SUVs are better to visit our constituencies.
“My own stance is that I will take the SUV and use it to deliver dividends to my constituents.”
On his part, the lawmaker representing Edo South Senatorial District, Neda Imasuen, said he would wait for the vehicles to arrive before making a decision.
Senator Imasuen said, “I’d urge you to wait until that happens, then we will revisit the issue. I wouldn’t want to count my chickens before they hatch.
“Labour Party has eight senators out of 109 and about 35 in the House of Representatives out of 360. So, I don’t know if it would make any difference if the lawmakers in the party take it or not.
“I don’t think telling them to take or reject would make any difference, I don’t think it would affect anything.
“Having said that, we haven’t been given any vehicle yet, but they said they would give.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has condemned the N160m official vehicle being awarded to each of the 360 members of the House of Representatives.
While urging his party lawmakers to reject the gifts, Abure described the action as the height of insensitivity.
The condemnation is coming in the wake of a report that members of the Senate and House of Representatives have started receiving a gift of a new 2023 SUV each.
In the last two days, the media has been awash with news of NASS leadership plans to procure 109 Toyota Land Cruisers for senators and 2023 Toyota Prado for 360 members of the House of Representatives.
But Abure disclosed that the Labour Party was saddened and disappointed at the level of insensitivity being displayed by the executive and the legislative arms in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Reacting to the development, Abure said, “We are calling on Labour Party legislators in the 10th Assembly to kick against this unnecessary wastage of resources in line with the ideology of the party which is social justice and equal opportunity for all. Nigerians will hold them responsible if they fail to live above board or give proper account of the electoral investment reposed in them. The poor must be allowed to breathe again in this country.
“It is saddening that with deepening poverty among Nigerians the administration has decided to increase its appetite for a life of opulence to mock hardworking but underprivileged Nigerians. How else can any government justify the bloated Federal Executive Council of 48 cabinet ministers, with each of them given three luxury four-wheel drive vehicles on the first day in office, paid for and fueled by taxpayers? This is notwithstanding hundreds of presidential and ministerial aides, as well as numerous aides to the aides who are being funded by the government.
“These vehicles will be costing Nigerians about N57.6 billion and this is happening at a time when the government claims it cannot afford to increase the minimum wage of N30,000 monthly to workers. As things stand today, inflation is likely to hit 30 per cent by December 2023, yet all they are concerned about is the comfort of a privileged few who found themselves in public office.
“Why spend so much money on the import of and purchase of vehicles from other nations amidst the scarcity of needed foreign exchange for manufacturing? Why not empower local manufacturers such as Innoson Motor in Anambra and Peugeot Automobiles in Kaduna to save forex and boost our local economy? When our Presidential Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, said we in the Labour Party want to move the economy from consumption to production, this is what we mean – Nigeria first.”
As of the time of filing this report, efforts made to get LP legislators to confirm that they would comply with the directive were unsuccessful.
