THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Wedne-sday, berated the House of Representatives for allowing its sitting on Tuesday to degenerate into chaos,
during which members engaged in a free-for-all, as it summoned the leadership to an urgent meeting.
The move by the ruling party to wade into the crisis in the House had earlier been reported. It was exclusively reported that the leadership of the party would summon the Speaker and other principal officials to a meeting on the reason behind the breakdown of confidence among members.
While summoning the House leadership, the party also extended the invitation for an urgent meeting to members of the Progressives, led by Honourable Dino Melaye, who it described as “unruly” and who were suspended indefinitely by the House on Tuesday.
The PDP said it was saddened by the rowdy session in the House, stating that it felt more embarrassed that the incident occurred right in the full glare of school children who watched the scenes from the gallery during their excursion to the National Assembly.
The PDP took the decision at its National Working Committee (NWC) metting.
According to a statement signed by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Professor Ahmed Alkali Rufa'i, the PDP was pained that members of the party in the House of Representatives ignored its earlier admonition to them to sheathe their swords on the matter pending its intervention.
It said the display of hooliganistic tendency by certain members of the House was un-parliamentary, and condemned the act in strong terms.
The statement by the PDP spokesperson read in part: "The NWC was particularly saddened that its earlier appeal for members to sheathe their swords and embrace dialogue in resolving all lingering issues went unheeded.
“The NWC, therefore, condemned the resort to violence which was carried out in the full glare of the public, including school children, who had gone to the National Assembly to experience the process of legislation first-hand.
"The outcome of the sitting of the House of Representatives on the 22nd of June, 2010 is regrettable and does not tally with the mood of the nation and the policy thrust of President Goodluck Jonathan, which encourages constructive engagement.
"This shameful act carried out by some members of the House of Representatives, some of whom are members of our party, also negates the new philosophy of discipline and decorum which the new national chairman, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, has set out to instill in the party. The party, therefore, calls on the House of Representatives to offer apology to Nigerians for this disgraceful and avoidable conduct".
The House was into chaos the previous day when 11 members of the Progressives attempted to disrupt the House’s proceedings, when a motion seeking their suspension was being presented.
Melaye and other members of the Progressives had accused the speaker of mismanaging the sum of N9 billion being House’s capital vote since 2008 till date, calling on him to render account.
The group had earlier issued a seven-day ultimatum to the speaker to resign, failing which they threatened to expose the alleged corruption against him to the anti-graft agencies, most especially the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The group made good its threat, when members visited the EFCC on Monday to present a petition against the speaker.
Meanwhile, Honourable Doris Uboh, representing Ika Federal Constituency in Delta State, who was one of the lawmakers suspended after a violent confrontation on Tuesday, has vowed to press on with her fight to ensure accountability and probity in the House, noting that the issues at stake bordered on “criminality.”
She said at a press briefing in her residence, on Wednesday, in Abuja that contrary to what the leadership of the House was claiming, she was not fighting because of committee’s position as she remained a deputy chairman of a House committee.
Honourable Uboh, who is nursing a dislocated shoulder following her battering in Tuesday’s scuffle in the House, said she was not deterred by her experience on the floor of the House.
She said that she was only trying to point out that the procedure of the House had been breached by the member who moved a motion for the suspension of the Progressives but was hardly allowed to do that before she was physically attacked.
The lawmaker, who confirmed that she was not a member of the Progressives, blamed anti-female sentiments among the male legislators for the attack she suffered, saying it was for the same reason that former Speaker of the House, Honourable Patricia Etteh, was removed from office.
According to her, “everybody has seen what happened to me just because I am a woman. It breaks my heart. Not only was I treated badly, people also watched the situation degenerate into where a female member was being trampled upon and they stood there looking extremely satisfied.
“I will not allow that to happen to me without pressing charges. I will take it to the highest level that I can,” she said, adding that “what I was doing yesterday (Tuesday) was representing my people, which is my parliamentary duty.”
She condemned the directive by the House leadership that the offices of the suspended members should be sealed off, saying that the House leadership had no constitutional authority to bar them from representing their constituents.
“I equally remember during Etteh’s time that she was told that she could not preside over her own case in accordance with laws of natural justice but Honourable Dimeji Bankole was made to preside, to suspend us indefinitely, to lock up our offices and to do as he damn well please,” she said.
She observed that the speaker, by presiding over Tuesday’s session, gave the impression that there were two sets of laws for the system, saying that in order to ensure justice, the House must revert to the situation that was applied in the case of Honourable Etteh to decide the issues raised by the Progressives.
She vowed that those who wanted investigation into the alleged cases of corruption in the House would continue their agitation, as she pointed out that the issues bordered on criminality, saying “you (speaker) misappropriated N9 billion and you felt that the best way to go about it was to suspend.”
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