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Shock, sorrow trail Safana's death

The embattled Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs Patricia Etteh, leading politicians, and colleagues of the late Hon. Aminu Safana, reacted cautiously to his death.

The embattled Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs Patricia Etteh, leading politicians, and colleagues of the late Hon. Aminu Safana, reacted cautiously to his death.

Those who spoke to Daily Sun were unanimous in declaring the day a sad one, and the loss, monumental.

They include the spokesmen of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) and Action Congress (AC), the immediate past speaker of the House, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, a member of the House of Representatives, Chief Chinonyerem Macebuh, an elder statesman, Chief Arthur Nwankwo, and Ambassador Yusuf Mamman.

Their reactions came as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and civil society groups threatened to march on the House to force the Speaker, who is in the centre of the storm to resign.
The Speaker expressed deep sorrow and shock at the sudden and untimely death of Hon. Safana.
"I am shocked and distressed at the death of Hon. Aminu Safana on the floor today. I still find it difficult to accept the harsh fact that he would never be on the floor again, that I would never see him again. He was a man of peace, a bridge-builder who always put his country first. He was a pillar of this House and hero of democracy.
"The House of Representatives will miss Hon. Safana's brilliant contributions on the floor but as a believer in the omnipotence of the Almighty, I take solace in the fact that my dear colleague has gone to Aljanat.

We pray Allah to grant him eternal rest, we ask him to grant us grace to continue from when he stopped and courage to cope with this sad loss" said the Speaker in a statement signed by her media aide, Funke Egbemode.
The Deputy Speaker, Hon Babangida Sai'du Nguroje, also expressed shock and regrets over the death of his "mentor and political associate," saying it was a huge loss and paralysis which the House cannot recover from.

Nguroje said in a statement from Hammid Bello, his Media Adviser that the House would never recover from the shock of the death of Hon Aminu Safana because it was impossible to have someone who would play the invaluable role of a stabilizing factor for the House on major issues.
Dr Safana, the Deputy Speaker said, died in the course of service to his fatherland. "He is very patriotic, a democrat to the core and an ardent lover of peace, unity, and stability of the House of Representatives and the country at large."

Mohammed regretted that the struggle to cleanse the chamber by getting the Speaker of the House, Mrs. Etteh to quit over the N628 million house renovation scandal had claimed a life.
He said in a sober tone: "It shouldn't have gotten to this level. Why should we sacrifice a life on a clear matter like this? Now that someone has died on account of this malfeasance, Etteh should know that it's now time to step down."
He took the blame for the death of Safana to the doorsteps of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), saying the party failed to live up to its responsibilities by asking the embattled Speaker to step down quietly.

"It is unfortunate the party up till now did not ask her to step down. Afterall, her successor will still come from the PDP. Can any Speaker emerge who is not PDP? It is now a moral issue, which the woman and the party will live down with."
On speculation that the death may lead to indefinite adjournment which may alter the calculation and aid the Speaker to hold on to the seat, Mohammed declared that she would still quit the stage no matter how long.

Macebuh recalled his long and friendly association with the fallen lawmaker, adding that he was short of words to express the depth of his sorrow and sadness.
"It is a very sad day. I am deeply touched because we had a very good relationship in the House. It is equally sad that the young man had to die in circumstances of this nature."
Nwankwo said it was painful that the country has come to this sorry pass.
"It is sad. As an elder statesman, I don't want to speak. The future of this country and those of you who are young bothers me"

Mamman expressed deep sadness over the death and commiserated with members of the family of the deceased lawmaker and the leaders and members of the House of Representatives over the "tragic incident."
Alhaji Masari described the late Dr Aminu Safana as a courageous lawmaker who put in his best to nurture the growth of the legislature.

He said that he had lost a longstanding brother of many years.
"He was a brother and a colleague to me. We came from the same state, you can imagine our closeness. Even, when we disagreed, he came to my Gwarinpa home on two occasions to apologize. This shows he was humble enough to make peace, May his soul rest in peace," Masari said.

Hon Emmanuel Jime, one of the members fighting the Speaker said that the death of Dr Safana, the third in three months was an ominous sign that evil has come to rule the House of Representatives.
"It is like there is something diabolical in Dr Safana's death. How can we record three deaths in three months? Is that natural, this is a sign that evil is with us," he said.
Hon Bayo Odulana said he was in a state of shock to speak on the death.

Meanwhile, the PDP has said that embattled Speaker of the House of Representatives, Patricia Etteh, cannot be a judge in her own case but insisted that due process should be followed.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Udom, told reporters in Abuja while reacting to the death of Honorable Aminu Safana that the party expected members of the House of Representatives to allow the rule of law to prevail.
"The party is in agreement that a person should not be a judge in her own case but due process should be followed," Lady Udom stated.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) expressed disappointment at the events in the lower chamber, which it described as utterly despicable and that the Speaker should be held responsible even as the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) said the developments have given the house leaders out as misfits.
"It is utterly despicable that the breakdown which started Tuesday continued today culminating in the death of a House member and the virtual collapse of the House," the Congress President, Mr. Abdulwaheed Omar said in his reaction, just as he disclosed that the Congress was convening a meeting of mass-based organizations and civil society groups, to march on the House and force the Speaker to resign.

In the statement signed by the NLC boss, the labour was of the view that the disgraceful situation in the House remains the result of the failure of the Speaker, Hon. Patricia Etteh, to step aside to enable an objective deliberation on the Hon Idoko panel report.

PPA spokesman, Olu Akerele, in a statement said Etteh's action was capable of inviting some adventurous military officers to take over the government and thereby derail the nation's democracy.
"She should realize that it is her recalcitrant attitude in the face of glaring guilt over the scandal that led to death of Safana.
"Her attitude is capable of inciting the military to take over the government," Akerele said.