VIDEO: House of reps in free-for-all, mace seized

The in-fighting among APC lawmakers over the leadership of the national assembly took a dramatic turn on Thursday, leading to the disruption of plenary.

In the house of reps, lawmakers loyal to Yakubu Dogara, the speaker, have taken custody of the mace to pre-empt moves to seize it by anti-Dogara members.

Many APC lawmakers are still unhappy with Dogara and Bukola Saraki, senate president, for upstaging the party’s preferred candidates for their positions.

The house was to decide on the remaining principal officers but some lawmakers disrupted the sitting and attempted to hijack the mace.

Fracas ensued few moments after Dogara commenced proceedings for the day.

Orker-Jev Yisa, chairman of the ad hoc committee on the review of house standing order, stood to move a motion for a closed-door session but was interrupted by some protesting members.

After almost one hour of rowdiness, Dogara was able to restore normalcy and reconvened plenary.

He told his colleagues to consider themselves “lucky” to have been chosen to represent their constituencies and promised that the crisis would be resolved.

He later adjourned sitting till July 21.

While the drama lasted, some of the lawmakers were chanting “Dogara”, while their counterparts on the other divide kept shouting “on party supremacy we stand.”

Femi Gbajabiamila, who the party is proposing to be the majority leader after being defeated by Dogara in the June 9 election; Leo Ogor, the immediate past majority leader of the house, were among the members who sued for peace during the show of shame.

Both men approached the speaker seeking means to resolve the crisis.

The APC leadership is proposing Alhassan Doguwa as deputy house leader, Mohammed Monguno chief whip and Pally Iriase deputy chip whip.