Anarchy in the House

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Onyedi Ojiabor
23/06/2010 02:24:00
 Melay
e
IT was like a scene
from a city pub full of
drunken patrons.
Well dressed people
raining blows on one
another and yelling.
Commotion. An arm
was broken and dresses
were torn.
So it was yesterday at
the House of
Representatives where
11 members were
suspended indefinitely.
The suspension
climaxed weeks of
scheming to force
Speaker Dimeji
Bankole to resign over
alleged corruption.
Those suspended are
mostly members of the
"Progressive Minded
Legislators", a group of
Representatives who
accused Bankole of
misappropriating N9
billion capital vote.
Those suspended are
the group’s leader, Dino
Melaye, Ehiogie West-
Idahosa, Independence
Ogunewe, Solomon
Awhinawi, Austin
Nwachukwu and Abbas
Anas.
Others are: Gbenga
Oduwaiye, Kayode
Amusan, Gbenga
Onigbogi, Bitrus Kaze
and Doris Uboh whose
name was listed with a
biro.
The build-up to the
fracas started about
three weeks ago when
the Melaye-led
"Progressives" launched
a battle to force
Bankole out, alleging
mismanagement of
funds.
The group followed up
with a visit to the
Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission
(EFCC) to push for the
anti-graft agency’s
investigation of the
House’s leadership.
Trouble started
yesterday on
resumption of the
House from a two-week
recess.
After some
announcements and
without prompting,
Bankole gave the floor
to Hon. Chile Igbawua
to move the
controversial
suspension motion.
Igbawua, who
represents
Kwande/Ushongo
Federal Constituency,
Benue State, sprang to
his feet and began to
read a prepared
"Motion for
suspension".
He had barely invoked
Order 5(1) Sub-rule 2
and 3 and Rule 3 of the
House that dwells on
privilege of members
when Melaye shouted:
"Point of Order! No
way; we cannot be
suspended!"
Melaye continued to
shout "no way! no
way!". There was
commotion as other
members of the
Progressives, including
Uboh, Nwachukwu,
Awhinawi and Kaze
attempted to snatch the
motion paper from
Igbawua.
After a bout of pushing
and shoving, Melaye
and his group
succeeded in snatching
the motion paper from
Igbawua’s hand.
Melaye tore the paper
into pieces.
Ogunewe took a
strategic position to
watch the unfolding
drama.
Not satisfied, Awhinawi
made to seize the mace
but was prevented by
over a dozen Sergeants-
at-Arm who cordoned
off the symbol of the
House’s authority.
The situation
degenerated into
physical combat
between anti-Bankole
lawmakers and others.
Mohammed Bawa took
on Awhinawi, raining
blows on the Delta
State-born lawmaker.
Bawa did not stop even
when Awhinawi fell on
the floor. Done with
Awhinawi, Bawa
moved to attack
Melaye.
Uboh attempted to land
blows on Igbawua but
was prevented by a
horde of other
lawmakers.
As the confusion
continued, Bankole
attempted to adjourn
sitting and was almost
on his way out of the
chamber when his
loyalists insisted that
the suspension must be
concluded.
The Speaker went back
to his seat.
But Melaye and his
group were not yet
done. Melaye brought
out a whistle and began
to blow it to add to the
already confused
situation.
The atmosphere was
charged. Bankole read
the list of suspended
members to a
resounding applause.
He mandated the
Sergeants-at-Arm to
march out those
affected.
But Melaye and his
group resisted the order.
In the ensuing melee,
Austin Nwachukwu
broke Chinyere Igwe’s
arm with a fire
extinguisher.
Other members
descended on him,
tearing his clothes to
shreds.
The Imo State-born
lawmaker dipped his
hand into his pocket
and whipped out a tear-
gas canister. He sprayed
the substance in the
chamber.
But the tear-gas did not
save him as he was
bundled out by irate
lawmakers
Done with Nwachukwu,
the lawmakers
descended on Melaye
and tore his dress to
pieces.
The Kogi State-born
lawmaker was also
dragged out of the
chamber by a combined
team of the Sergeant-at-
Arms, Col. Emmanuel
Okere, and other
lawmakers.
Uboh’s exit was more
dramatic. She was
physically carried and
deposited outside the
chamber by a group of
furious members.
Ogunewe escaped
through the back door.
Awhinawi and Kaze
were marched out of the
chamber by their
colleagues who rained
blows on them.
A hitherto active
member of the group,
West-Idahosa, was
absent but he was
nonetheless suspended.
When order was
restored, Bankole
apologised to Nigerians
for the rowdiness of the
session.
He said: "I must start by
apologising to
Nigerians for the
rowdiness of today’s
session. However, for
the avoidance of doubt,
I will ask Hon. Chile
Igbawua to go through
the motion for clarity."
When Igbawua took the
floor, he said:
"I wish to draw the
attention of this August
House to a matter of
privilege and,
accordingly, to invoke
Order 5 (1) Sub rules 2
and 3 and rules 2 read
together with Section
60 of the Constitution
of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria 1999, which
allows the House to
regulate its procedure
and Order XVII Rule 7
Sub-rules 3B, C and D,
which prescribe the
procedure for internal
dispute resolution
through the Committee
on Ethics and
Privileges."
Igbawua quoted the
Legislative Houses
(Powers and Privileges)
Act Cap L12 Laws of
the Federation 2004 that
regulates the conduct of
members of legislative
houses.
He stated that by the
provisions of Section 24
of the Legislative
Houses (Powers and
Privileges) Act, any
person who:
"Publishes any
statement, whether in
writing or otherwise,
which falsely or
scandalously defames a
legislative House or any
committee thereof: or
"Publishes any writing
reflecting on the
character of the
President or the
Speaker, as the case
may be, of a legislative
House or the chairman
of a committee of a
Legislative House in the
conduct of his duty as
such President, Speaker
or Chairman; or
"Publishes any writing
containing a gross,
wilful or scandalous
misrepresentation of the
proceedings of a
Legislative House, is
guilty of an offence.
"Any act or conduct
inflicting or capable of
bringing disrepute,
disgrace and dishonour
to the House, its
committee or any of its
members or officials or
which in any way
impairs or may likely
impair the dignity of the
Legislative House
would constitute
punishable contempt."
Igbawua urged the
House to suspend
members of the
"Progressives"
indefinitely, pending
the outcome of
investigations by the
Ethics and Privileges
Committee.
He said he was
compelled to respond to
the actions of the
"Progressives" "that
have embarrassed and
cast aspersions on this
honourable House, as a
House incapable of
resolving itself. But you
know we can."
Igbawua said the
attacks on the Speaker
and principal officers of
"this honourable House
on television and pages
of newspapers have cast
serious dent on the
image of this
honourable House".
According to him, he
demanded for the
group’s suspension for
failing to adhere to the
provisions of the
Legislative Houses
(Powers and Privileges)
Act, code of conduct for
Honourable members
and Rules of the House
in stating their
grievances and for
taking their matter to
the public domain, with
a view to maliciously
bring the image of the
House into disrepute.
The Chairman, House
Committee on Media
and Public Affairs,
Hon. Eseme Eyiboh,
told reporters that those
suspended breached the
rules of the House.
He said Nwachukwu
brought into the
chamber a weapon,
which is prohibited
under the Legislative
Houses Act.
Melaye breached the
rule of the House by
bringing in a whistle,
Eyiboh said.
On the allegation of
mismanagement of
funds made by the
"Progressives", he said
Melaye and his group
had all the allowances
in the rules of the
House to present the
allegations.
According to him, the
group undermined the
integrity of the House
by taking the
allegations outside the
confines of the House.
On why Melaye and
others were forced out
of the House, Eyiboh
said the Sergeants-at-
Arm are empowered to
employ reasonable
force when the occasion
demands, especially
when those affected
resist suspension.
Also speaking at the
press conference, Hon.
Farouk Lawan said
Melaye and his group
"have become constant
irritants and distraction
to the House".
Lawan recalled that
Ogunewe assaulted the
Speaker some weeks
ago.
Melaye and
Nwachukwu were last
night arrested by the
Police.
Spokesman of the
Federal Capital
Territory (FCT)
Command Jimoh
Moshood said they
were "invited for
questioning".
Melaye may have been
arrested for allegedly
being behind anti-
Bankole posters.
Nwachukwu was
allegedly arrested for
"carrying weapon" to
the House.
Last night, Melaye
accused Bankole of
presiding over the
beating of his
colleagues.
His group, he said, was
not the first to take
issues of the House to
the public domain,
noting that Hon. John
Agoda addressed the
press before former
Speaker Patricia Etteh
resigned.
According to him, Hon.
Farouk Lawan spoke to
the press before former
Speaker Salisu Buhari
was forced out.
He vowed to pursue his
campaign for probity to
its logical conclusion