Lawmakers
at the Benue State House of Assembly, north-central Nigeria, clashed on
Tuesday following a letter addressed to the Speaker by members of the
All Progressives Congress (APC) to appoint majority leader for the
Assembly.
The APC and the Peoples Democratic Party’s free
for all fight at plenary started when the Speaker of the Benue Assembly,
Mr Terkimbi Kyange, read the APC’s letter in which it claimed majority
after a lawmaker of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defected into its
fold, which gave it a marginal lead over the PDP.
Normal
legislative activities had began peacefully with the adoption of
proceedings without any sign of an impending pandemonium before the
chamber became a boxing ring minutes later.
The lawmaker in the
eye of the storm, Mr Nick Eworo, hinged his defection on his expulsion
from the PDP at the local government level.
The PDP lawmakers
quickly arrested the reading of the letter via a motion to declare the
seat of Mr Eworo vacant in line with Section 190 of the 1999
constitution.
Points of order for and against the motion of the PDP lawmakers to declare Mr Eworo’s seat vacant flew from all directions.
Mr
Kyange then overruled the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers’
motion, declining the request to declare the said member’s seat vacant.
The
APC-PDP clash soon degenerated into a free for all physical combat and
fighting, while some female lawmakers scampered for safety after heated
argument with other colleagues.
The Sergeant At-Arm quickly removed the mace while fighting was going on.
However,
a legislator, Tema Kester, on behalf of the PDP lawmakers vowed to
resist the move which they described as a rape on the constitution.
While
the Speaker hurriedly adjourned sitting till Thursday, activities at
the State’s Assembly continued without any sign of prior civil
disturbances.
Credit: Channels
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