PDP: Reps exchange blows over rebel governors visit

Reps in a free-for-all in Abuja ...on Tuesday

Fighting erupted in  the House of Representatives on Tuesday when   seven governors loyal to the New Peoples Democratic Party visited  the House in Abuja.

A member of the House  from Bayelsa State, Mr. Henry Ofongo, was punched and shoved repeatedly by his colleagues for daring to  oppose  the visit. His  jacket  was pulled off  by some members.

Most of the members who crowded Ofongo, were from Kano State, including Mr. Aminu Suleiman, Mr. Baballe Murktar, Mr. Ali Madakaki and Mr. Ado Dogoa.

Mr. Dakuku Peterside and Andrew Uchendu, both from Rivers State, also shoved Ofongo, preventing him from moving close to the high table.

In the ensuing fracas, other members , who were in solidarity with Ofongo, attempted to throw chairs.

One of the lawmakers, who lifted a chair but was prevented from throwing it, was Mr. Ini Udoka from Akwa Ibom State.

Mr. Emmanuel Okon, also from Akwa Ibom State, joined the fighting on the side of Ofongo.

Udoka and Okon, like Afongo,  are  pro- Bamanga Tukur-led  National Working Committee of the PDP lawmakers.

The governors in the New PDP that visited the lawmakers were  Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto); Babangida Aliyu (Niger); Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano); Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); and Abdul-Fatai Ahmed (Kwara).

They arrived the House  in company with the National Chairman of the New PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje.

The Speaker of the House, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, and other principal officers received them in  Room 0.28.

Other principal officers in attendance were the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha; the Majority Leader, Mrs. Mulikat Akande-Adeola; the Chief Whip, Mr. Ishaka Bawa;  the Deputy Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor; and  the Deputy Whip, Mr. Murktar Ahmed.

As Baraje was introduced and asked to state the purpose of their visit, Afongo stormed the venue with  Betty Apiafi (Rivers); Bethel Amadi (Imo); Kingsley Chinda (Rivers); Bitrus Kaze (Plateau).

Afongo shouted “point of order”, “point of order” and charged in the direction of the high table in a bid to register his protest.

He  said the meeting must not hold because he did not believe that many of the people at the venue were PDP members.

But, the pro-Baraje members stopped him, shoving and throwing punches in the process. Afongo too responded with punches.

When Baraje ignored the disruption and tried to proceed with his speech, more  protesters trooped in, chanting anti-New PDP slogans.

They sang, “No, way, no way; PDP, Tukur; PDP, Tukur.”

The loud protest drowned the speech  on the efforts  being made  to “address the culture of impunity in the PDP.”

One of the protesters, Apiafi, complained that the House was supporting “illegality.”

She fumed, “This is illegality; we have only one PDP, they should stop this rubbish. How can we legalise it in the House? The Speaker should not do this (receive  the  Baraje  delegation).

Kaze, who is from Plateau State, also said, “Tukur is the only known Chairman of the PDP.”

A lawmaker from Kogi State, Mr. Tajudeen Yusuf, described the visit as “unnecessary” because it would worsen the party crisis.

Outside the venue, Afongo told reporters that the presence of a “large number of non-PDP members”  at the meeting angered him.

He said, “Baraje is a leader in the party. If he is coming to address us, no problem.

“But, I saw a crowd and non-party members among them. I wanted to ask why and they started pushing me and shouting me down.”

Responding to Baraje’s speech, Tambuwal carefully avoided the factional crisis in the party.

Rather, he berated politicians for being on  a voyage to destroy democracy.

The Speaker observed that self-interest, rather than the welfare of the majority of Nigerians, was uppermost in the minds of politicians.

He said he could not comprehend why politicians, who constitute less than “25 per cent” of the country’s population, were taking the majority for a ride.

Tambuwal   added. “We are deeply concerned about recent political developments in our country, especially in the PDP.

“Democracy belongs to all Nigerians and not to politicians alone. Many people died fighting for democracy. This is a reason we must conduct ourselves according to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We must abstain from  heating up  the polity unnecessarily because of our personal ambitions.”

Earlier, Akande-Adeola had welcomed the delegation, expressing hope that the visit would be the “beginning of the end to the crisis in our party.”

The meeting ended hurriedly as tension escalated.

Some pro-Baraje lawamakers later addressed journalists after the meeting and condemned the disruption of  the proceedings by those loyal to the Tukur-led PDP.

Led by  Uchendu,they explained that the delegation merely came to brief their loyalists on the steps taken so far to reform the party.

He said, “It is most unfortunate that some people came to disrupt the meeting. This is the type of lawlessness that takes place in the PDP.

“That is what we are saying, no, not anymore. But, we all saw what happened.”

None of the governors uttered a word, as they hurriedly left the venue.

Baraje also  led  his team  members to the Senate where they  briefed the Senate leadership about their grouse with the Tukur-led National Working Committee of the PDP.

Baraje said they decided to visit the Senate leaders  because of its  strategic importance in the resolution of  the PDP crisis.

He noted with concern that the democratic image of the  PDP started declining in  recent years due to  the lack of internal democracy caused by the  interference of  the Presidency.

The New PDP chairman said the development had affected the quality of the party   and style of leadership  “that now takes pride in illegal dissolution of states’ party structures and other acts of impunity.”

Apart from the initial demands of the governors, Baraje asked the Senate leaders to ignore the calls on them to declare  the seats of Senators loyal to  the New PDP vacant.

Responding, the President of the Senate, David Mark, assured  the team that all  the  issues it raised would be addressed dispassionately.

He said  the Senate  would not declare the seat of any Senator vacant on account of the current crisis within the PDP.

Meanwhile, the Tukur faction of the PDP has  explained that its national officers did not go to the National Assembly on Tuesday as earlier planned because of the ceasefire agreement entered into by the aggrieved governors and the President.

Its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, told journalists that there was the need for the ceasefire to be kept.

He said, “ We are abiding by the decision reached at the Sunday meeting where we were directed to avoid anything that would be seen as inflaming the crisis.

“This was why we were not at the National Assembly. We don’t want to do anything that would be seen as stalling the ongoing reconciliation.”

PUNCH