The Ogun State House of Assembly shamed the legislature yesterday as legislators turned the House into a House of commotion not minding the rules nor listening one to another as the fracas deteriorated into the breaking of the mace.
The commotion was triggered by the announcement by the speaker of the suspension of four members of the house for various offences, including ‘disrespecting the institution of the House and the Speaker’.
Those purportedly suspended by the Speaker are Remmy Hazzan, Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN) , the Minority Leader, Job Akintan of Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Yewa North II and John Obafemi, Whip of Peoples’ Party of Nigeria(PPN) as well as Adijat Adeleye-Oladapo( ACN) representing Ifo I State Constituency.
Before the suspension could hold however, the motion must be endorsed by a member and a vote taken to seal it.
The Majority Leader of the Assembly, Mr. Israel Jolaoso moved the motion for the suspension of the four members and the Speaker called for a member to second the motion, but before any member could signify his intention to do so, some of the affected members advanced towards the mace and broke it.
The Speaker of the House in a bid to restore order slammed the gavel, but he was completely ignored. Rather, the supporters of the members listed for suspension began to make jest of him for his alleged ineptitude.
They broke out in a song; “power resides in people…” being chorused by some members of the Assembly, with a partially broken mace held by one of them. There were 14 members of the house in the rebellious group.
The show of shame in the House reportedly made a concerned Governor Amosun to abandon the 76th birthday ceremony in Abeokuta for former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
It was not clear whether he held a behind the scene peace session with the warring members.
But the Chairman House Committee on Agriculture and Forestry,Adeyemi Harrison representing Ogun Waterside told newsmen that the Assembly would reconvene later in the day to complete the plenary session of the day.
Reports say it was another round of hot exchange of words when the House reconvened, but the fracas didn’t degenerate more than normal as both parties involved maintained they were doing the right thing for the state while they indicted the other.
Wat a show of shame….