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Etteh: Reps In Rowdy Session, Adjourn In A Hurry

October 15, 2007
As expected, tempers flared in the House of Representatives this morning as legislators struggle to prevent embattled Speaker, Patricia Etteh, from presiding over the affairs of the house. For more than two hours, the house was thrown into commotion as legislators opposed to the speaker presiding, engage in a shouting match with her supporters.


The speaker shouted herself hoarse and banged the gavel on her table to maintain order, but all to no avail.

Trouble started immediately Etteh for a debate of the Idoko-panel report on the N658 million renovation contract scam that indicted her and some principal members of the house.

Immediately Etteh called for a debate on the report, she was rudely interrupted by the House minority leader, Hon. Aliyu Ndume, who insisted that she must step aside before the report can be considered.

This interruption threw the house into a rowdy session for more than two hours as both pro and anti-Etteh forces engaged one another in a shouting match.

Efforts by madam speaker to call the legislators to order failed as they ignored her and confronted one another.

The embattled speaker kept shouting “order, order” and banging the gavel on her table to restore sanity, but all to no avail.

Members of the anti-Etteh group called the Integrity group, were seen prancing and dancing around the chambers, holding the country’s green-white-green flag and singing “o se, o se o, o se o, E se Baba”.

At a point, the speaker attempted to leave the chambers but stopped when she saw the commotion at the table where the mace was place.

She went back to her seat to watch the disorderliness her refusal to vacate the speaker ship seat had caused.

Some of the dignitaries like Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, Action Congress governorship candidate who watched proceedings from the gallery, could not but wonder about the kind of democracy being practised in the country.

After more than two hours of commotion, majority leader of the house, Hon. Tunde Akogun moved a motion for adjournment till tomorrow. The motion was not seconded by the minority leader as expected, but this did not stop the speaker from adjourning sitting till tomorrow.

After the adjournment, the speaker was heavily guarded by supporters and security officials as she made her way out of the chambers for her office.

Prior to today’s sitting, many Nigerians had called on madam speaker to resign honourably and prevent the house from being thrown into chaos.

Fiery lawyer and activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) said that if Etteh has any moral standing left in her, she should resign honourably, irrespective of the outcome of the debate.

He added that if Etteh refused to resign and ignored the persistent call for her resignation “she should be booted out of office by the members of the house.”

According to the legal luminary, the speaker’s removal will be in the interest of constitutional order and morality as well as dignity and respectability of the office.

He further said that there was a serious moral disconnect between the House and the ordinary Nigerians, who they claim to represent.

Corroborating Fawehinmi’s view, the AC, in a press statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated that Etteh’s resignation would not only stall crisis in the House but also give the nation’s democracy a chance to survive.

He opined that Etteh should quit now to preserve the office of the speaker and salvage whatever was left of her integrity.

“We wonder why the PDP is bent on sinking with Etteh at all costs. Is there no other credible candidate for the post in the entire House? Or is the PDP confirming our worst fears that men and women of integrity have taken flight from it (PDP)?” he asked.


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