The Federal House of Representatives on Tuesday witnessed a rowdy session, as members elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nearly mobbed their counterparts from the All Progressive Congress (APC) over the position of Majority Leader and Minority Leader.
The crisis was however averted by Speaker Aminu Tambuwal who later confirmed possession of the order restraining the House from changing its leadership.
The proposed change was prompted by the defection of 37 PDP lawmakers to APC shortly before the House embarked on Christmas and New Year recess.
The rowdy session started shortly after Aliyu Madaki moved a motion, calling on the House to step into the crisis rocking Rivers State.
While contributing, Leo Ogor, deputy majority leader who also raised a point of order noted that the motion, if passed by the House, might ended up embarrassing the House, but urged the House to ensure fair hearing by summoning the embattled Commissioner of Police.
While reacting to Ogor’s position, Femi Gbajabiamila, minority leader however raised a point of order in support of the motion and referred to Ogor as Deputy Minority Leader.
The situation snowballed into a rowdy session, as Ogor rebuked Gbajabiamila for referring to him as Deputy Minority.
Without mincing words, Gbajabiamila argued that Ogor and other PDP members in the leadership positions have lost out their position to the APC. Gbajabiamila maintained that by the provisions of the House rules, the majority party shall produce the House Leader.
At this end, other APC members rallied round Gbajabiamila chanted solidarity song “APC, Chang! APC, APC, APC, Change”! to the displeasure of aggrieved PDP members.
Some 20 minutes of rowdy session, Tambuwal who presided over the plenary observed that the House has a set of rules drawn from the constitution. To this extent, he urged both parties to maintain calmness on the matter, which is already before the court.
Meanwhile, the APC, at a press briefing after the rowdy session in the House, insisted that the numerical strength of the PDP in the House had changed in favour of the APC.
Gbajabiamila who spoke on behalf of APC noted that the development at plenary was inevitable, as the party now has a majority in the House, stressing that “the PDP knows that APC has the de facto majority”.
On his part, Samson Osagie, minority whip who passed vote of confidence on the speaker, emphasised that the leadership of the majority party ought to change in favour of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
