Posted by Taiwo Adisa on
SENATE President, Senator David Mark, has intervened in the bid by some members of the House of Representatives to impeach the Speaker, Honourable Patricia Olubunmi Etteh, over alleged illegal contract award.
SENATE President, Senator David Mark, has intervened in the bid by some members of the House of Representatives to impeach the Speaker, Honourable Patricia Olubunmi Etteh, over alleged illegal contract award.
Some members of the House of Representatives led by Honourable Halims Agoda had been at the throat of the speaker who is currently holidaying in the United States for allegedly spending N628 million to renovate her official residence and that of her deputy, Honourable Babangida Ngoroje, without the approval of the House leaders.
Mark, who was said to be planning a trip abroad, had suspended the trip on the realisation that the crisis in the House of Representatives might not just vanish and that it might need his attention at the end of the day.
But sources in the Senate informed the Nigerian Tribune that the Senate President had intervened in the matter and had called a meeting with the leaders of the impeachment plan.
Sources in the National Assembly told the Nigerian Tribune that the Senate President used his powers as the chairman of the National Assembly to call a meeting of those leading the plot against the speaker on Tuesday night and that the aggrieved members stated their side of the story.
According to sources, the members agreed with the Senate President on the need to stem the media war, especially as the speaker was abroad.
Said a source: 'The Senate President was concerned about the mudslinging that was already creeping into the matter and he asked the members concerned to stem the media war. He wanted them to wait till they can directly hear from the woman and the entire House leadership and the aggrieved members agreed to sheathe their swords at least for now."
It was also gathered that some aggrieved representatives were primarily angered by the distribution of House committees, in which they were not made to head strategic committees.
The aggrieved members of the House had addressed the press twice in two days to show their anger, with Agoda saying in one of the press conferences that there would be 'earthquake" when the House resumed.
Though the speaker was said to have initiated talks with the aggrieved members over the composition of the 72 standing committees, it appeared that her pleas had no effect on the leaders of the impeachment plan, most of whom are from the South South.
Mark's intervention was seen to be effective as it appeared to have stemmed the wave of mudslinging among the Representatives.