The plan by the Clerk to the National Assembly, CNA, Architect Amos Ojo, to circumvent his obligatory three-month pre-retirement leave has been upended by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.
This was consequent upon the meeting of some National Assembly Service commissioners from the Southwest zone with the Speaker on the issue.
The CNA had reportedly been perfecting plots to stay put in office till his last day in office in breach of the extant service rule that prescribes three-month pre-retirement leave.
The plots had heightened tension in the topmost echelon of the National Assembly as stakeholders watched with keen interest whether or not the CNA would succeed in beating the system.
It was learnt that the CNA approached the southwest commissioners in the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) to prevail on them to defend his action and prevail on the chairman not to enforce commencement of his pre-retirement leave.
According to sources in the commission, the commissioners from his southwest zone (the CNA is from Osun state) declined the CNA’s overture.
They were said to have pointed out that compliance or otherwise with the three-month pre-retirement leave was neither here nor there and that it was thus necessary for them to err on the side of precedence by ensuring the CNA complied with the rule.
Precedents have shown that successive CNAs before the incumbent CNA complied with the three-month pre-retirement leave.
One of them, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa, even voluntarily retired six months to his actual retirement date, to pave the way for the appointment of Alhaji Sani Mohammed Omolori.
Sources close to the NASC and the NASS leadership said that his overture having been rejected by the southwest commissioners, the CNA rushed to see the speaker of the house of representatives, who is believed to be his godfather.
In fact, his very close relationship with the Speaker, as learnt, has emboldened him to violate some rules and regulations, including reporting the commissioners to the Speaker.
The CNA’s report to the Speaker was hinged on the alleged attempt by the southwest commissioners to frustrate, ridicule and embarrass him out of office.
The CNA had, according to a source, continued to whip up baseless sentiments bordering on religion and ethnicity to support his continuous stay in office beyond his pre-retirement leave date of November 14th, 2022.
But the speaker, it was gathered, summoned the commissioners in question to corroborate what the CNA had told him.
The commissioners took their turns to narrate to the speaker that available records at the commission showed that all former CNA’s except Alh Abubakar Salisu Maikasuwa who left before the mandatory three months pre-retirement leave, and Alh Sani Omolori, who left unceremoniously, had always complied with the rule of three-month pre-retirement leave.
They reportedly expressed worries at the desperation of the incumbent CNA not to leave as prescribed by the rules and regulations guiding the public service.
Upon the explanations and clarifications on the matter by the commissioners, a shocked and disappointed Speaker Gbajabiamila, as learnt, directed the CNA to do the needful.
