Anarchy in the House

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Anarchy in the House

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Onyedi Ojiabor23/06/2010 02:24:00


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Melaye

IT was like a scene

from a city pub full ofdrunken patrons.

Well dressed peopleraining blows on one


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another and yelling.

Commotion. An armwas broken and dresses

were torn.

So it was yesterday at

the House of

Representatives where11 members were

suspended indefinitely.

The suspensionclimaxed weeks of


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misappropriating N9

billion capital vote.Those suspended are

the groups leader, DinoMelaye, Ehiogie West-

Idahosa, Independence

Ogunewe, SolomonAwhinawi, Austin

Nwachukwu and Abbas

Anas.


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Others are: Gbenga

Oduwaiye, KayodeAmusan, Gbenga

Onigbogi, Bitrus Kaze

and Doris Uboh whosename was listed with a

biro.

The build-up to the

fracas started about

three weeks ago whentheMelaye-led


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"Progressives" launched

a battle to forceBankole out, alleging

mismanagement of

funds.

The group followed up

with a visit to theEconomic and Financial

Crimes Commission

(EFCC) to push for theanti-graft agencys


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investigation of the

Houses leadership.Trouble started

yesterday onresumption of the

House from a two-week

recess.After some

announcements and

without prompting,Bankole gave the floor


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to Hon. Chile Igbawua

to move thecontroversial

suspension motion.

Igbawua, who

represents

Kwande/UshongoFederal Constituency,

Benue State, sprang to

his feet and began toread a prepared


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"Motion for

suspension".He had barely invoked

Order 5(1) Sub-rule 2and 3 and Rule 3 of the

House that dwells on

privilege of memberswhenMelaye shouted:

"Point of Order! No

way; we cannot besuspended!"


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Melaye continued to

shout "no way! noway!". There was

commotion as other

members of theProgressives, including

Uboh, Nwachukwu,

Awhinawi and Kaze

attempted to snatch the

motion paper fromIgbawua.


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After a bout of pushing

and shoving,Melayeand his group

succeeded in snatching

the motion paper fromIgbawuas hand.

Melaye tore the paper

into pieces.

Ogunewe took a

strategic position to


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watch the unfolding

drama.Not satisfied, Awhinawi

made to seize the macebut was prevented by

over a dozen Sergeants-

at-Arm who cordonedoff the symbol of the

Houses authority.

The situationdegenerated into


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physical combat

between anti-Bankolelawmakers and others.

M

ohammed Bawa tookon Awhinawi, raining

blows on the Delta

State-born lawmaker.Bawa did not stop even

when Awhinawi fell on

the floor. Done withAwhinawi, Bawa


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moved to attack

Melaye.Uboh attempted to land

blows on Igbawua butwas prevented by a

horde of other

lawmakers.As the confusion

continued, Bankole

attempted to adjournsitting and was almost


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on his way out of the

chamber when hisloyalists insisted that

the suspension must be

concluded.

The Speaker went back

to his seat.ButMelaye and his

group were not yet

done.Melaye broughtout a whistle and began


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to blow it to add to the

already confusedsituation.

The atmosphere wascharged. Bankole read

the list of suspended

members to aresounding applause.

He mandated the

Sergeants-at-Arm to


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march out those

affected.ButMelaye and his

group resisted the order.In the ensuing melee,

Austin Nwachukwu

broke Chinyere Igwesarm with a fire

extinguisher.


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Other members

descended on him,tearing his clothes to

shreds.

The Imo State-born

lawmaker dipped his

hand into his pocketand whipped out a tear-

gas canister. He sprayed

the substance in thechamber.


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But the tear-gas did not

save him as he wasbundled out by irate

lawmakers

Done with Nwachukwu,

the lawmakers

descended onMelayeand tore his dress to

pieces.

The Kogi State-bornlawmaker was also


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dragged out of the

chamber by a combinedteam of the Sergeant-at-

Arms, Col. Emmanuel

Okere, and otherlawmakers.

Ubohs exit was moredramatic. She was

physically carried and

deposited outside thechamber by a group of


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furious members.

Ogunewe escapedthrough the back door.

Awhinawi and Kazewere marched out of the

chamber by their

colleagues who rainedblows on them.

A hitherto active

member of the group,West-Idahosa, was


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absent but he was

nonetheless suspended.When order was

restored, Bankoleapologised to Nigerians

for the rowdiness of the

session.He said: "I must start by

apologising to

Nigerians for therowdiness of todays


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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 ofprivilege and,


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accordingly, to invoke

Order 5 (1) Sub rules 2and 3 and rules 2 read

together with Section

60 of the Constitutionof the Federal Republic

of Nigeria 1999, which

allows the House to

regulate its procedure

and Order XVII Rule 7Sub-rules 3B, C and D,


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which prescribe the

procedure for internaldispute resolution

through the Committee

on Ethics andPrivileges."

Igbawua quoted theLegislative Houses

(Powers and Privileges)

Act Cap L12 Laws ofthe Federation 2004 that


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regulates the conduct of

members of legislativehouses.

He stated that by theprovisions of Section 24

of the Legislative

Houses (Powers andPrivileges) Act, any

person who:

"Publishes anystatement, whether in


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writing or otherwise,

which falsely orscandalously defames a

legislative House or any

committee thereof: or

"Publishes any writing

reflecting on thecharacter of the

President or the

Speaker, as the casemay be, of a legislative


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House or the chairman

of a committee of aLegislative House in the

conduct of his duty as

such President, Speakeror Chairman; or

"Publishes any writingcontaining a gross,

wilful or scandalous

misrepresentation of theproceedings of a


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Legislative House, is

guilty of an offence."Any act or conduct

inflicting or capable ofbringing disrepute,

disgrace and dishonour

to the House, itscommittee or any of its

members or officials or

which in any wayimpairs or may likely


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impair the dignity of the

Legislative Housewould constitute

punishable contempt."

Igbawua urged the

House to suspend

members of the"Progressives"

indefinitely, pending

the outcome ofinvestigations by the


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Ethics and Privileges

Committee.He said he was

compelled to respond tothe actions of the

"Progressives" "that

have embarrassed andcast aspersions on this

honourable House, as a

House incapable of


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resolving itself. But you

know we can."Igbawua said the

attacks on the Speakerand principal officers of

"this honourable House

on television and pagesof newspapers have cast

serious dent on the

image of thishonourable House".


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According to him, he

demanded for thegroups suspension for

failing to adhere to the

provisions of theLegislative Houses

(Powers and Privileges)

Act, code of conduct for

Honourable members

and Rules of the Housein stating their


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grievances and for

taking their matter tothe public domain, with

a view to maliciously

bring the image of theHouse into disrepute.

The Chairman, HouseCommittee onMedia

and Public Affairs,

Hon. Eseme Eyiboh,told reporters that those


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suspended breached the

rules of the House.He said Nwachukwu

brought into thechamber a weapon,

which is prohibited

under the LegislativeHouses Act.

Melaye breached the

rule of the House by


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bringing in a whistle,

Eyiboh said.On the allegation of

mismanagement offunds made by the

"Progressives", he said

Melaye and his grouphad all the allowances

in the rules of the

House to present theallegations.


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According to him, the

group undermined theintegrity of the House

by taking the

allegations outside theconfines of the House.

On whyMelaye andothers were forced out

of the House, Eyiboh

said the Sergeants-at-Arm are empowered to


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employ reasonable

force when the occasiondemands, especially

when those affected

resist suspension.

Also speaking at the

press conference, Hon.Farouk Lawan said

Melaye and his group

"have become constant


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irritants and distraction

to the House".Lawan recalled that

Ogunewe assaulted theSpeaker some weeks

ago.

Melaye andNwachukwu were last

night arrested by the

Police.


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Spokesman of the

Federal CapitalTerritory (FCT)

Command Jimoh

Moshood said theywere "invited for

questioning".

Melaye may have been

arrested for allegedly

being behind anti-Bankole posters.


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Nwachukwu was

allegedly arrested for"carrying weapon" to

the House.

Last night,Melaye

accused Bankole of

presiding over thebeating of his

colleagues.

His group, he said, wasnot the first to take


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issues of the House to

the public domain,noting that Hon. John

Agoda addressed the

press before formerSpeaker Patricia Etteh

resigned.

According to him, Hon.

Farouk Lawan spoke to

the press before former


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Speaker Salisu Buhari

was forced out.He vowed to pursue his

campaign for probity toits logical conclusion

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Anarchy in the House