Tension in House of Reps - As member defies Speaker

Bola Badmus, Abuja - 06.02.2009

Palpable tension gripped the House of Representatives on Thursday and this led the Speaker, Honourable ‘Dimeji Bankole, to hurriedly call for a closed-door session among the executives.

Issues such as unspent fund and loans granted members were said to have been discussed at the session which lasted over an hour.

The development followed a near altercation between the speaker and a member, Honourable Solomon Awinnawin, who refused to sit down after Bankole directed him to do so.

Awinnawin, who tried to complain to the speaker that he was not served with the order paper as well as votes and proceeding, remained standing in spite of the speaker’s order, saying he was not going to be party to the adoption of the votes and proceeding he did not see.

“Mr. Speaker cannot order me to sit down. I won’t be a party to adopting vote and proceeding I did not see,” he maintained while refusing to take his seat.

His insistence caused some row as members were divided with shouts of “sit down” and “go ahead,” a development which led the speaker to hurriedly call on the leader of the House to move a motion that the members went into an executive session to enable the House iron out some issues.

Briefing newsmen at the end of the session, the leadership disclosed that issues such as unspent fund and loans advanced to members from a bank were discussed, among others, declaring that the speaker answered every question put across to him to the satisfaction of all members.