(SINL NIGERIA) Honourable Kingsley Chinda is the minority leader in the House of Representatives, in an interview with newsmen recently he revealed that the tax bills passed by the House of Representatives is far better than what was presented to the House, adding that the bills as it is now is welcome but it is still work in progress.
Speaking on the tussle over the PDP national scribe, Chinda said the Supreme Court judgement is clear on Samuel Anyanwu.
The lawmaker also explained why the House supported the emergency rule in Rivers state.
SINL Nigeria Online reports.
EXCERPTS
QUE: The House of Representatives has just passed the tax reform bills presented by President Bola Tinubu, as opposition party lawmaker, could you give an insight what transpired?
ANS: The passage of the tax reform bills is one of the evidence of the type of opposition which we assured we were going to have in place in Parliament. I know that for Nigerians, if they don’t see lawmakers blowing, hitting at each other, insulting and attacking themselves, they feel that there is no opposition in Parliament. But we have been here long enough and out of experience, we have concluded that that has not paid off for us as a nation and as a country.
We have fought for several years in Parliament, but we saw insecurity increasing. We saw economic woes increasing. So we decided that we are going to make our impact having the interests of Nigerians at the back of our mind, not seeking for popularity, not seeking for accolades from the public, but ensuring that we do our work very well and then get results.
The tax bill is one of such results. When the tax bill came, we saw that the bill was not good enough for Nigerians and we started the push for a reform of that bill. We believed that Nigeria needed a change in her tax system and so our tax laws were due for reform.
So the spirit of the tax bill was good, but the letter had issues that we needed to rejig. And when all that came up, we went into the room with the leadership of the National Assembly and pointed out the areas that Nigerians are complaining of, which we believe that their complaints were genuine and correct complaints. These things were looked at in-house and that’s why it was delayed.
We insisted and it was stepped down. It took our time to do in-house cleaning of the bill, all the contentious areas, proper consultation from the Governor’s Forum to state parliaments and several organizations including religious groups. All the opinions were taken into consideration in-house and when we had tidied that up completely, we came back to the floor of the parliament to now look at it and ensure that what we had agreed is exactly what is brought to the floor of parliament and we passed it with ease.
We didn’t need to fight to record that success and so today we have a tax bill. However, I would still say that what we have cannot be said to be perfect because there is no law that is perfect and that’s why you have permission for amendment but what we have today as a tax bill is far better than what was presented to us if you look at interest of the populace. I think that I can say that the tax bill as it is now is welcome but it is still work in progress.
QUE: Aside from being the leader of the minority caucus in the House of Representatives, you are also the leader of the PDP caucus as well in the House of Representatives and by extension even among the leaders of the party. Last week, Friday, the Supreme Court ruled on the matter between Udeh-Okoye and Senator Samuel Anyanwu as who is the substantive secretary of the party. Today, despite the ruling of the Supreme Court, there are people saying it is Anyanwu, others say Udeh-Okoye
What is your opinion on this?
ANS: Well, firstly, let me say that what we have done in the minority caucus is to allow party leadership to reside in various members of political parties in PDP. Honorable Nicholas is the leader of PDP in the House of Reps, but I am the minority leader, so of course we work in tandem. On the issue of Supreme Court judgment, it is clear.
I would advise that people should endeavor to read before they come to public space to attempt to deceive the public. It doesn’t pay us. It’s embarrassing as a political party that a judgment of court will be given and then you hear people misinterpreting the judgment and giving various interpretations even within very high level of the party.
Look, let me tell you that judgment must not be in my favor but once I say judgment, if it is Supreme Court, I don’t have any option than to align with it. The judgment is clear.
Judgment of the lower court was set aside. Judgment of the court of appeal was set aside and the court ruled that look, the person who brought the suit, actually not brother Okoye, the person who brought the suit, that the person was a busybody and Okoye himself an interloper and that Sam Anyanwu was never removed from office and so he remains the national secretary of the party. It’s simple, that issues of leadership are internal matters of the party and so that the court ought not to have even exercise jurisdiction over the matter.
So all the misinterpretations, I don’t know what they intend to achieve. That is causing more problem within our party. We have a legal adviser.
I think that if anybody is in doubt, please approach the national legal adviser of the party who is in a position to tell you clearly what the position of the Supreme Court is. Not for the national organizing secretary to cause the kind of confusion that is causing. We are not happy about that but because we are party men, we don’t want to join issues.
We don’t want to continue to wash our dirty linens outside. We caution ourselves. Let us be slow in going to the public to discuss party issues.
From the Supreme Court judgment, Sam Anyanwu is the national secretary of the party.
QUE: Honourable, in recent times the National Assembly has come under severe criticism by Nigerians concerning the way in which they passed the emergency rule by the president, and there is allegation that money exchanged hands. As the opposition minority leader, what is your take and what actually transpired?
ANS: First, let me say that the decision was not based on any inducement whatsoever and again, I have heard the criticism.
If you were in chambers that day, what happened was that we had an executive session and at the executive session, we discussed issues and we were given further and better information as to reasons why Mr. President declared the state of emergency. Some of these are security information. They are not things that you throw open to the entire public and having been convinced, members now said we need to rejig some of the conditions a little bit.
The interests of this country should be paramount and that we agreed. If you look at it, what we said was that first, Mr. President can relax it when the situation in River State becomes calm, whether within the six months or even before the six months. Secondly, the areas that has to do with the powers of parliament that appeared to some members to have been touched that it should be restored and then the third amendment.
So, when we agreed on all this, we came to the open as usual like I have told you before and then the vote was taken.
Having done that, when we took the vote, if one name had come up, that member can ask for division of the house and then you can do headcount or you divide the house how you so wish to and then do the count. The important thing that the speaker did was to confirm if quorum had been formed, which was the only objection that came from members. third.
The quorum was formed. The speaker went ahead to ask that the required two third must be in chambers before vote is taken and so at the point when from the register he was informed that we were 243, he now felt that since 240 was quorum that he could go ahead. Let me also put it clear that we were more than 243 in that chambers on that day.
Aside that, our rules also provide that members can participate virtually. So those who are participating virtually were also not there and were also not counted. But the long and short of it is, I will ask one question.
For all the previous parliaments that had passed issues on state of emergency, show me one where headcount was done. One. Aside that, even members, former members who are being critical, let them tell us
One member who came up on the floor to say look, I’m not satisfied with this vote. The house should be divided and that was not done. You know, people should understand there are procedures, there are processes.
Yes, nobody is doubting that two third is a requirement.
We were prepared for headcount but you do it if it is necessary. If you have achieved over 240 and everybody said yes, nobody said nay. The speaker had to put the question three times to be sure.
Of course, the reason why he was repeating the question was to be sure if there is any nay so that we can do a headcount. There was no nay. The peculiar nature of this particular declaration was because two arms of governments were suspended unlike other ones.
For every declaration of state of emergency, there must be a reason for it. If you look at the constitution, the constitution provides that if there is natural disaster, you can declare a state of emergency.
Your target is to take care of that natural disaster and ensure that Nigerians do not die in the course of that natural disaster, right? And so you don’t need to tamper with structures. If there is an attack, for example, by Cameroon against Nigeria, you can declare a state of emergency. And the essence is for military to move in and curb that attack and secure the territory of the country.
In this situation where you have problem and crisis emanating from two arms of government and your target is to take care of that problem and that crisis, what do you do?
So when people talk, people should talk with facts that they have on ground. What is the reason for declaration of a state of emergency? What do you want to curb? What do you want to salvage?
It is not for fancy. It is for a reason.
QUE: Nigerians are not very comfortable with the judiciary.
ANS: Tell me which sector in this country that Nigerians are comfortable with? The press? Tell me one sector. What about the press?
Let us place Nigeria first. If you look at some of the pressmen, rather than do investigative journalism, they go to social media and pick stories and heat up the politics. We must make progress.
There is no arm, whether the legislature, the judiciary, or the executive, even the Nigerian masses, that cannot share from the blame of our country. All of us must sit down. We must be a little bit more selfless.
QUE: If you look at the issue of state of emergency being declared, it’s more or less like the president is biased. Because the Rivers issue is not as tough as that of the Lagos state. Why is it that Mr. President and the National Assembly is targeting RIVERS state in particular? Why is Lagos not part of the state of emergency?
ANS: Social media information, which I have just criticized.How long did the Lagos state crisis last? Why? Lagos state crisis, was it between the executive and the legislature or an internal matter in the legislature for you to compare that to Rivers state? What were the threats in Lagos state to public assets as a result of the crisis within the House of Assembly? The comparison is not there at all. That’s why I keep saying that, look, let us have the interest of this country at heart in whatever decision we take. Let us have the interest of the country at heart.
Let us not start looking at how do I condemn. Look at it critically. Can you truly compare what was happening in Rivers state and what happened in Lagos state in the House of Assembly? Here you have two arms of government.
Let me also ask you, if the president had not intervened, I’m sure the progress concerning the impeachment of the governor would have continued up till now. The tension would have still been there. What would have been the end result, can you tell? When you already have oil assets being attacked.
What would have been the end result? Look, we need to be very careful. This is the first time I’m speaking on this issue. Deliberately, I have decided not to because I’m involved and I don’t hide my interest.
I’m a Rivers man. God has made it so. I can’t shy away from it.
I have said one thing. I said let us be a little bit more selfless and a little bit less selfish.
QUE: The PDP is not providing the expected opposition
ANS: But let me assure everybody, wait until the congresses, the national convention of all the parties come and go. Then you can pass a proper judgment. The PDP has always been like that, we have had in-house fighting.
We’ll come out stronger. This one will not be different.
QUE: There are fears that Nigeria is drifting to one party state.
ANS: When PDP was in power, we were also accused of that.
The important thing is for us, the PDP, to put our house in order. Let me also tell you, the APC will be happy that we are in crisis. Just like we also will be happy to see the APC in crisis, and we are praying for that.
So, I mean, what we need to do is for us to go back to the drawing board, put the country first, and put self after country, and we can make it. I still believe that we can make it. It is the individuals that make the party, not the party that makes the individual.
