A mild drama ensued at the green chamber of the National Assembly on Tuesday, following the announcement that one of the four wives of the Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, had been delivered of the lawmaker’s 28th child.
The Majority Leader, Ado-Doguwa, on a lighter mode, informed his colleagues that he was considering the allocation of a polling unit to his private home, as part of the amendments to the Electoral Act 2020, since he plans to have up to 30 children before the end of the current 9th National Assembly.
It all began at the opening of the day’s plenary, when the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, asked the Majority Leader if he had any personal explanation or announcement to make.
Ado-Doguwa replied in the negative, but the Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, announced that the Majority Leader just had a new child.
Elumelu said, “Mr Speaker, mine is to congratulate my brother, the Leader of the House. He currently has 28 children and still counting. He just received double a few days ago. That made it 28. It was 26, now 28.”
Gbajabiamila feigned ignorance and asked the Majority Leader to defend himself, on what Elumelu said.
Responding, Ado-Doguwa said, “Mr Speaker, I didn’t know that you were talking about me. This is no longer news. It is no longer news, because this thing happened in the last 24 hours. It is true that my beloved family had gotten an additional one person, not two like Elumelu said. And it is a baby girl, bouncing.
“The mother and the baby are hale and hearty. The husband is still active; I am here. And I thank God that I kept to my words to the House of Representatives; that while I had 27, I promised you that I would continue counting. I want you to know, by the grace of God and your prayer, that the count will continue. Thank you and God bless Nigeria.”
The Majority Leader added, “Now that we are considering the Electoral Act amendment, I will also – when we get to the floor, perhaps at the Committee of the Whole – appeal to my members so that we suspend the relevant rules; we have a clause in the Electoral Act where it permits families that do have 30 kids in their homes to have an electoral polling unit in that family.”
Gbajabiamila asked, “So, Leader, you are working towards (having) a polling unit in your house? Now that you have 28 children, you have two more to go.”
Responding, Ado-Doguwa said, “Yes, between now and 2023, before the election comes, if you allow that, then I will have a polling unit within my home.”
The Speaker said, “Congratulations, Leader of the House.” And the Majority Leader replied, “Thank you so much, Mr Speaker. I thank you honourable members. Please, the count still continues.”
Recall that Ado-Doguwa had stormed the green chamber in 2019 for his inauguration as Majority Leader with his four wives.
Then, after showing his wives to the lawmakers, he had disclosed that he had 27 children, “and still counting.”
