The House of Representatives went rowdy on Tuesday as representatives on the platform of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) walked out on the House after a motion on the controversial $9.3 million smuggled out of the country with a jet belonging to President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ayo Oritsejafor, was stepped down by the Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha, who presided at the sitting.
The legislators described the move by Ihedioha and other members on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a ploy to sweep the matter under the carpet.
The raw cash was seized from two Nigerians and an Isreali on arrival in South Africa. Since then, Oritsejafor, who confirmed ownership of the jet, but said he knows nothing about the money, had been faced with a barrage of criticisms.
The Senate has commenced investigation into the matter.
In a motion moved on the floor Deputy Minority Leader, Ismaila Kawu, had asked the lawmakers to debate the controversies surrounding the smuggled cash taken to South Africa in the private jet.
He said the incident was very scandalous, very disgraceful and very appalling and that the House should investigate the matter through its committees of Defence and Aviation.
However, Ihedioha, who halted attempt to further debate the matter, referred it to a committee saying that it would be better handled that way.
The heated arguments and the rowdy session that followed caused Ihedioha to put the matter to a voice vote in which those in support of Ihedioha took the day.
Angered by the situation, members of APC walked out of the chamber to a press briefing where Honourable Samson Osagie, the Minority Whip, explained that his colleagues see the $9.3 million smuggled out of the country as another shame to the country.
He said: “for us as a people and for us as lawmakers, we find this unacceptable, unethical, illegitimate and in our view, it is an illegal transaction.
“If the indeed, the matter involves security issues like the purchase of arms by a government like Nigeria, why was the South African government not brought into the picture before hand and how could South African government be sure that the arms were purchased legitimately by the Nigerian government and not by the insurgents when there were no officials of the NSA’s office or the Director of state security department that accompany such money?”
Osagie said the federal government had better explanations to make to Nigerians concerning the source of the money and its real purpose.
Allegations that the federal government had bribed members of House of Representatives with $20, 000 each and the Senate with $50, 000 each to stop them from investigating the scandal has not been denied by any of the houses.
