By Kayode Matthew

JOS — An aspirant to the House of Representatives, Mr Caleb Muftwang, from Plateau State has called for stiff punishment, including hard labour, for members of the House who engage in fighting or the breach of the peace.

Condemning what he described as the ugly episode of shame on Tuesday that culminated in the suspension of 11 members of the House, Muftwang said it was unthinkable for legislators who should be role models to use the opportunity offered them for service to show their bestial inclinations.

He said it was even more unfortunate that the legislators chose to fight on a day that secondary school pupils were watching their proceedings from the gallery.

Muftwang who is a People’s Democratic Party, PDP, aspirant for the Mangu/Bokkos Federal Constituency, nevertheless called for a sincere investigation into the allegations of corruption levelled at the House leadership by the suspended legislators.

According to him, “what happened in the House on Tuesday is a shame that must be condemned by all. My prescription is that any member of the House who fights should be sentenced to prison with hard labour so that they can channel their energies from fighting into productive work.

“This again shows that the calibre of men we have elected into this present House is questionable and that is why I am offering myself as a fresh hope to the nation.

“I do not share sympathies with either the Speaker or those against him because what happened is an ugly episode of shame that violates the very reverence that Nigerians have for parliament.

“It is even more shameful that the honourable members chose to fight on a day that school children came to watch their proceedings from the gallery and this questions the kind of lesson they are passing on to their own children.”