The appointment of a just defected PDP member as deputy majority leader of the Benue State House of Assembly triggered a fight that has put the legislators to shame.

By Peter Duru

The crisis that bedevilled the Benue State House of Assembly reached an embarrassing level two days ago when members, divided along party lines engaged each other in a free for all.

Prior to Tuesday’s brawl, the 30 member House which is made up of 15 Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, 14 All Progressives Congress, APC, and one Labour Party, LP, legislators had been enmeshed in a leadership tussle since its inauguration two weeks ago.

The crisis stemmed from the fact that some members of the majority PDP were alleged to have connived with the APC to deny their party the advantage of the slight majority they have to produce the speaker which went the way of the ruling APC.

•Members of Benue State House of Assembly engaged in a brawl

Shortly after the inauguration, the 30 member legislature had gone into the election of its two presiding officers, the Speaker and his Deputy, which was done through secret balloting.

At the end of the voting which was overseen by the clerk of the House, Hon. Terkimbir Ikyange of the APC polled 17 votes to defeat Domnic Ucha of the PDP who polled 13 votes.

However, the   position of Deputy Speaker went to James Ejembi of the PDP representing Okpokwu state constituency.

The outcome of the leadership election left tongues wagging about a mole of the APC in the ranks of the PDP. The PDP family in the state was in perplexity over what they described as the “treachery and sell out” of three of its members leading to the unanticipated defeat of its candidate.

While the APC were basking in the euphoria of the victory,   accusing fingers were being pointed at some members of the PDP who were labelled “big time traitors”.

Following the election, the House adjourned its sitting only to resume last week and was confronted by a letter from Hon. Nick Eworo representing   Obi state constituency which was read on the floor of the House by the Speaker.

Eworo had claimed that he was defecting from the PDP to the APC because the leadership of the party at the local government level had expelled him, maintaining that he decided to defect to the ruling APC in order to secure a platform in the House.

Though his claim had been debunked by the PDP which accused him of allegedly forging the expulsion letter to suit the whim of the APC.

Following the claims, counter claims and accusations, the Speaker adjourned the sitting of the House to the June 23 to enable the House elect other principal officers of the Assembly.

On that basis, the PDP headed for the courts to declare the seat of Hon. Eworo vacant in line with the provisions of Section 109 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

At the resumed sitting on Tuesday, the issue of the defection of Hon. Eworo from the PDP to the All APC took precedence.

At the sitting, Iaana Jato of the PDP representing Katsina-Ala, East raised a constitutional point based on section 109 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which he said stated clearly that once a member of a legislative house defects to another party, he automatically loses his seat.

His observation was however overruled by the Speaker, Mr. Mr Terkimbi Ikyange.

Meanwhile, the APC in a letter read by the Speaker, selected Mr. Benjamin Adanyi, member representing Makurdi North as its preferred Majority Leader.

In the said letter, the party also selected Mr. Eworo who just defected from the PDP to the APC as the Deputy Majority Leader while Mr. Titus Uba was selected as the Majority Whip.

The announcement immediately sparked off shouting matches between the APC and PDP members which resulted in a physical combat between Adanyi and Martin Aza of PDP both Makurdi representatives.

The fight erupted mainly because the PDP members were of the view that they had 15 members in the house including Eworo who claimed that he   joined APC last Thursday.

On the purported expulsion of Eworo, the PDP members insisted that they had written the House on the matter but the Speaker refused to read the content of the letter on the floor of the House which further angered the PDP members.

In his ruling, the Speaker said that the explanations of the PDP did not convince him to act in the contrary.

He, therefore, said that the selection of the above mentioned principal officers was sustained and asked the PDP to go to court to seek an interpretation of the constitution.

In his reaction to the ugly development, Hon. Eworo   who observed that he was in the eye of the storm, insisted that he had defected to the APC and urged his former party to seek a judicial interpretation of the matter.

On his part, Kester Kenge of Logo constituency, decried the development noting that if not addressed properly, the House could remain in anarchy until the right thing was done.

Reacting to the development, former Lagos state Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Tsav, described it as a shame and disgrace to the people of the state.

Tsav said,   “its a big shame indeed,   before this time we knew that PDP had majority in the House and we expect that the position as expressed by the electorates will be respected.

“Unfortunately   we heard that the APC went and influenced some PDP members in order to create what we see happening, it’s all prearranged and it is indeed unfortunate.

“The ugly development is unacceptable, if the Senate is presently in crisis over Senator Akume and his group and in his home state similar crisis is playing out, it’s nothing but a shame and also highly condemnable.