The House of Representatives is to investigate the cause of the commotion that led to an attempt to snatch the mace on Wednesday following the announcement of the principal officers of the minority parties.
This is even as Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila warned that the resolve of the House should not be tested by aggrieved members, who he said ought to know how to seek redress through due process, as laid down in the House rules.
The Speaker’s warning came after series of interruptions in the name of point of order by Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers).
The Speaker told the lawmaker to take his appropriate seat in the chamber.
Complaints by the Chinda-led group began with the lawmaker occupying the seat allocated to the Minority Leader in the front row.
After the Speaker settled in his seat and approved the votes and proceedings for the previous legislative day, where Ndudi Elumelu and others were selected as Minority principal officers, which attracted applause and shouts of Gbaja! Gbaja!! from the floor, Chinda raised a point of order.
But Gbajabiamila did not allow him to speak.
The lawmaker made other attempts but the Speaker did not allow him.
The Speaker implored the House to be mindful of Orders 9 and 10
While Order 9 borders on rules of debates and behaviour of members in the House, Order 10 is about order in the House during debates and how the Speaker is to be heard in silence, contempt in the face of the House as well as the powers vested in the Speaker dealing with erring members at plenary or committee meetings.
Chinda immediately raised a point of order and the Speaker promptly replied: “Without asking you for your point of order, you are overruled.
“I will not hear you; you are not in your allocated seat. There are allocated seats. You won’t be recognized until you take your appropriate seat.
“Please, let me make it clear: I’m pleading; please, do not test the resolve of this House or you will have cause to regret”.
Benjamin Kalu (Abia), relying on Order 6 (19)(b), said the event of Wednesday, where an attempt was made to snatch the mace, left him terrified and traumatized because it was the least he expected from his colleagues, especially ranking members.
“That was an attempt to destroy the integrity of this House,” he said while praying that the matter and the instigator, Gogo Bright (PDP, Rivers), be investigated with a view to preventing a reoccurrence.
His submission was met with applause from the floor.
Gbajabiamila said Kalu’s submission was comprehensive enough by capturing everything that occurred on the day.
The Speaker referred the motion to the Ethics and Privileges Committee, when constituted.
Tajudeen Yusuf (PDP, Kogi) followed with his own point order that the votes and proceedings approved by Mr Speaker did not contain the list of the members who selected Elumelu.
Gbajabiamila ruled that the point of order was noted.
Chinda attempted another point of order for recognition and the Speaker replied: “You will not be heard until you are on your seat.”
Another member on Chinda’s side, Mark Gbilah (PDP, Benue), raised a point of order that the Speaker breached his privilege by his remarks of threat.
The Speaker cut him short that he should endeavour to understand the meaning of and difference between threat and warning.
He then urged his colleagues to allow the business of the day to progress.
“We are not going to spend the whole day on point of order. Let’s move on,” Gbajabiamila added.
Also, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has summoned Elumelu.
Others House members the party summoned are: Wole Oke, Ms. Lynda Ikpeazu, Anayo Edwin, Gideon Gwadi, Toby Okechukwu and Adekoya Abdul-Majid.
They were ordered to report today at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja at 10 a.m.
The party’s decision to summon the lawmakers was contained in a statement yesterday by the party’s spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan.
The summons, which was issued after a marathon NWC meeting, states that they are to meet the leadership in a “crucial meeting”.
“The summons is in line with the provisions of Chapter 10 (57)(3) of the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)”, the statement said.
Elumelu became Minority Leader to displace Kingsley Chinda, who is said to be the party’s choice.
Similarly, the party’s choice for Deputy Minority Leader; Minority Whip; Deputy Minority Whip were upturned as candidates in Elumelu camp emerged ended up gapping the positions.
Also, the chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jubril, who embraced Elumelu’s emergence on Wednesday, made a U-turn yesterday.
Jubril had endorsed and congratulated Elumelu, who visited him at home after his election.
But addressing reporters yesterday, Jubril said he endorsed Elumelu in error, adding that he was deceived into believing that the lawmaker was the choice of the party’s leadership.
“I stand with the decision of the National Working Committee of our party on the House of Representatives minority leadership position. I was made to believe that Elumelu was the choice of the party,” he said.
