BY DAUD OLATUNJI

Barely 18 months after the Ogun State House of Assembly was thrown into crisis following the emergence of two Speakers, history seems to be repeating itself.

The 6th legislature during the era of the  immediate past Governor Gbenga Daniel had been split  into two groups -G14 and G11-with two Speakers- Tunji Egbetokun and Soyemi Coker -struggling for the soul of the legislature.

The G11 had the backing of the then governor which allowed them  not only to  suspend 15 members but also reversed  the controversial House Resolution 169 which barred financial institutions from granting a hundred billion naira bond proposed by Daniel.

File photo: Ogun State House of Assembly in a Rowdy Session

This group, however, reportedly used the mace belonging to Abeokuta South local government legislative council as the symbol of the House at their sittings held at odd times, often times from 6:30 am.

Eventually the troubled  House was  shut for months.

The 7th legislature, under the leadership of Suraj Adekunbi,  an Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN) member, is also not only in crisis but also polarised.

The House is divided into two groups-G14 and G12 -and  had its mace,which is  the House symbol of authority, broken at the plenary of Tuesday.

Despite the  monotonous nature of the House which had all members belonging to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,in the last parliament, it witnessed such intractable crisis that worked against the victory of the party in the state  during the last general elections.

*Broken Mace

This time,the House has members of the A C N in the majority while PDP and Peoples Party of Nigeria, PPN, form the opposition.

Like in the  Daniel  era, the crisis seems  to be targeted  at the incumbent governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, as well at the leadership of the House which has been accused of misappropriating the House funds.

On Tuesday, the hallowed chamber  became a theatre of  the absurd when 26 lawmakers abandoned lawmaking for wrestling.

The drama commenced around 11:11am with one of the lawmakers, said to be a G14 member, playing  the principal role in the  first scene. The drama took all  the artistes and spectators  five hours with several episodes.

Trouble started after the day’s session began when the lawmaker grabbed the mace, lifted  it up and smashed  it on the ground. Her other G14 members immediately joined  in the game of destruction.

But, for  providence, the aggrieved lawmaker would have smashed the mace on the Speaker’s head.

The warring  lawmakers had been irked by alleged contract  for 28 official cars which was reportedly inflated.

It was gathered that the lawmakers were sidelined in the alleged contract  which snowballed into the invitation of  Adekunbi  by the operatives of Independent Corrupt Practices  and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, which quizzed and later released him.

When journalists asked the aggrieved lawmakers for their reason for breaking the mace, the securitymen attached to the House tear gassed them.

And later, when the House decided to reconvene, the journalists were sent out of the hallowed chamber following the claim that a lawmaker was armed.

The claim, according to the minority leader, Job Akintan, had been posted on the internet  that a lawmaker, leading one of the groups in the crisis, had smuggled a gun into the chamber.

This gun scare prompted some lawmakers to call for the search of everybody including the Speaker.

After the search, which was not extended to Adekunbi and his loyalists, the Speaker and  Hon. Remmy Hassan, which a group had elected Speaker extempor in the wake of the alleged suspension of Adekunbi,  clashed over who should address the floor in the capacity of Speaker.

Adekunbi’s security  details prevented Hassan and his other loyalists  from moving against their boss while the aggrieved lawmakers resisted Adekunbi’s attempt to reconvene the sitting.

This development prompted the Speaker to hurriedly called for the adjournment of the plenary while members of the opposing group stood firmly against his authority.

However, at the time of filing this report,both camps  claimed to have suspended the leadership of one another.

According to Adekunbi, Remmy Hassan, Olufemi Akintan, Adija Adeleye-Oladapo and John Obafemi reprenting ; Odogbolu; Egbado North 11; Ifo 11 and Remo North state constituencies were suspended for “various acts bordering on unparliamentary  behaviour and gross disrespect  for the legislative institution”.

The Hassan group hit back, announcing the reversal of their suspension and declared Adekunbi, his deputy, Tola Banjo, majority leader, Israel Jolaosho and a member from Ifo 1 constituency, Olakunle Oluomo, suspended.