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Fighting erupted in the House of Representatives on Tuesday when seven governors of the New Peoples Democratic Party(New PDP) in company of National Chairman of the New PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje visited the House in Abuja.
The seven governors are Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Musa Kwankwaso (Kano), Aliyu Magatakarda Wammakko (Sokoto), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa).
According to The Guardian, the crisis broke out when members of the Bamanga Tukur-led faction stormed the venue of a meeting and disrupted an address by the splinter group leader, Alhaji Kawu Baraje.
Osun Defenders reported that, as Baraje was introduced and asked to state the purpose of their visit,Mr. Henry Ofongo(Bayelsa) 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. 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.
Ofongo's jacket was pulled off by some members during the fight. 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,Mr. Ini Udoka from Akwa Ibom State lifted a chair but was prevented from throwing it.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal responding to Baraje’s speech berated politicians for being on a voyage to destroy democracy.
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".
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".
Mr. Andrew Uchendu, who later addressed journalists on behalf the 108 pro-Baraje lawmakers in the House, expressed concern over what he termed “the reign of impunity, lack of tolerance and lawlessness” unleashed by the pro-Tukur group that attempted to disrupt the parley.
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.
Meanwhile, the Bamanga 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".
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