House crisis Deepens, Suspended Members’ offices sealed

By Punch's Niyi Odebode, John Ameh, Olusola Fabiyi, Adelani Adepegba and Friday Olokor
Thursday, 24 Jun 2010


The crisis in the House of Representatives has deepened as the offices of 11 members suspended on Tuesday have been sealed.

The doors to the offices were crossed with two white tapes in the style usually adopted by security agents when sealing off a crime scene. On the two tapes was an inscription boldly written ”Sealed.”

The suspended members are Mr. Dino Melaye; Mr. Anas Adamu; Mr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa; Mr. Independence Ogunewe; Mr. Solomon Awhinawhin; Mr. Austin Nwachukwu; Mr. Gbenga Oduwaiye; Mr. Gbenga Onigbogi; Mr. Kayode Amusan; Mr. Bitrus Kaze; and Ms. Doris Udoh.

One of the suspended lawmakers (Nwachukwu) was arraigned before a Chief Magistrates Court, Wuse in Abuja, for illegal possession of tear gas and causing grievous bodily harm to fellow lawmakers.

His arraignment took place shortly after the Peoples Democratic Party met with the Speaker of the House, Mr. Dimeji Bankole and demanded an apology from the House to Nigerians over the fracas.

The party, which described the Tuesday incident as a shame, added that it would also invite the suspended lawmakers.

Our correspondents learnt that the key to the offices of the suspended House members were changed. Most of their aides who reported for work on Wednesday were seen loitering at level 2 of the New building of the National Assembly Complex.

One of the aides claimed that the offices were sealed on Tuesday night on the ” directive of the leadership of the House.”

The aide said, ”They should have allowed us to pick our personal effects. They were supposed to seal the offices in our presence so that at least we could have taken inventory of the items in there.

”As it is now, I cannot say what they took or did not take.”

Under Order 10 of the Standing Orders of the House, a member can be ”suspended from the service of the House.”

The order, however, does not clarify whether suspension also means that the affected person is barred from having access to his office.

Ogunewe was suspended before in 2008 but he had access to his office.

When contacted, the spokesman of the House, Mr. Eseme Eyiboh, defended the sealing of the offices.

According to Eyiboh, the offices are part of the privileges a lawmaker enjoys as a member of the legislature.

”Once your privileges are withdrawn, you cannot come back to the office; it is not possible”, he added.

He explained that Ogunewe had access to his office the last time he was suspended because he was suspended for just two weeks.

”This time it is different; the suspension now is indefinite. These people are not coming back to the House again till the end of this session; so what are they keeping their offices for?”, Eyiboh said.

At least four lawmakers had been injured on Tuesday after fighting broke out between supporters of Bankole, and members of a group known as ”Progressive-Minded Legislators.”

It was gathered that as of Wednesday, two lawmakers, Mr. Chinyere Igwe, and Ms. Udoh, were still hospitalised as a result of the fighting.

The PML, which is led by Melaye, has been demanding the resignation of Bankole over an allegation that he misused N9bn out of the N11bn capital vote of the House for 2008/2009.

A key member of the PML, Nwachukwu, was arraigned by the Police on a three-count charge of conspiracy, illegal possession of weapon and assault by the police.

The lawmaker pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the charges and was subsequently granted bail. His case will come up for hearing again on July 29.

Nwachukwu, who was said to have sprayed tear gas on Igwe was quizzed alongside Melaye by the FCT Police Command on Tuesday.

But police detained Nwachukwu but released Melaye.

Meanwhile, the PDP summoned Bankole to a meeting of its National Working Committee on Wednesday.

It was learnt that the Chairman of the party, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, said Bankole needed to brief the NWC on what happened in the House on Tuesday.

Bankole declined to speak with journalists when he left the meeting. But the PDP later issued a statement in which it said what happened in the House was embarrassing.

It said in the statement by its National Publicity Secretary Prof. Rufai Alkali, that it was saddening that members of the House refused to heed the party’s earlier call on them to sheathe their swords and embrace peace.

The party therefore demanded an apology from the House to Nigerians, saying that the suspended members would also be summoned.

The statement reads in part, “The NWC at its meeting of Wednesday, June 23, 2010 reviewed current events within the party and the nation.

“The NWC expressed its disappointment over the embarrassing scenes in the House where members openly threw caution to the wind and engaged one another in a show of shame.

“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 on June 22, 2010 is regrettable and does not tally with the mood of the nation and the policy thrust of President Jonathan which encourages constructive engagement.

“The party therefore calls on the House to offer an apology to Nigerians for this disgraceful and avoidable conduct.

“The NWC has already invited the leadership of the House for briefing on this unfortunate incident. It has also resolved to invite all those involved in this unruly behaviour to explain their roles to enable the party take the next line of action.”

Also on Wednesday, two of the suspended lawmakers — Amusan and Udoh— vowed to challenge their suspension in court.

Amusan, who said he was not a PML member, said in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents , that his suspension was ”a personal vendetta.”

”I was not part of the commotion that occurred in the House. I packed my books and left when there was confusion. My suspension is a personal vendetta. I have no option than to head for court,” he said.

On her part, Udoh said that she was surprised that Bankole watched while she was being brutalised by her fellow lawmakers.

Udo, who also denied membership of the PML, said she raised a point of order when the issue was being debated in House when she realised that due process was not being followed.

”I was treated badly; but the Speaker sat there looking satisfied when I was being dealt with. I am going to sue those who slapped and brutalised me for assault,” she said.