Obiejesi Kingsley

Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara,  has described the reaction of Abdulmumin Jibrin, ousted chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Appropriation, as a joke, adding that he would not join issues with the aggrieved lawmaker.

The speaker made the remarks via the social media after his followers on twitter had pressed him to state his own side of the story.

“Thought I’ve said it’s a joke. I won’t respond to jokes. I’m not a mud wrestler,” the speaker said in one of the tweets.

Jubrin, an All Progressives Congress, APC, member of the House of Reps. representing Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State, took to twitter on Thursday to vent his anger and displeasure at the decision of the speaker to remove him as the appropriation committee chairman.

Jubrin accused the Speaker, his deputy, Yusuf Lasun, Chief Whip, Alhassan Doguwa, and Minority Leader, Leo Ogor, of ganging up against him because he refused to accede to their demands, including inserting N30 billion interests and his opposition to immunity for lawmakers.

He said: “My offence was asserting my independence and insisting that we do the right thing at all times and expose corrupt people in the House.”

Jubrin called Dogara a “coward, hypocrite and pretender of the highest order (who) wines with Mr. President and dines with Mr. President’s enemies.”

He threatened that “if I am not allowed to exercise my privilege, I shall consider legal options and testify against Speaker Dogara, Deputy Lasu, Whip Doguwa and Minority leader, Leo Ogor on why they should resign.”

The speaker however made a joke of Jubrin’s threats saying: “He threatened the heavens will come down if he is removed and we thought to ourselves it’ll be fun watching it happen,

“We’re waiting for the heavens to come down first. That’ll be a lifetime experience. Until that happens, it’s all jokes.”

When someone reminded Dogara that Jibrin used to be his right hand man and as such Nigerians expect an explanation from the speaker, he said: “I owe a word on the subject to my friends on this platform. The rest will be dealt with by the institution.”

Speaker Dogara on Wednesday announced Jibrin’s removal as chairman of the House committee on appropriation, explaining that Jibrin had asked to be replaced as the pressure of the work was too much on him.