BREAKING NEWs! PDP, APC lawmakers Fight Dirty, Exchange blows In Benue state House of Assembly

There was chaos at the Benue state House of Assembly on Tuesday, July 19, as proceedings degenerated into fisticuffs between lawmakers over an alleged 750 million naira car fraud. The fracas was fueled by an alleged probe by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) into the purchase of cars for the lawmakers. The melee reportedly began on the floor of the House in Makurdi, the Benue state capital when Honourable Kester Kyenge, who is of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) raised a point of order before the consideration of votes and proceedings of the previous sitting.

The Speaker of the House, Honourable Terkimbi Ikyange, who belongs to the All Progressives Congress (APC), sensed the danger in the motion raised and ruled Mr Kyenge out of order, causing dissatisfaction among the PDP lawmakers. The situation led to members of the PDP calling for the removal of all principal officers of the House. But the APC-led legislature strongly kicked against the calls by the opposition.

The fracas then degenerated to the stage where lawmakers from the APC and the PDP used abusive words against each other, prompting the Speaker to adjourn sitting to Thursday, July 21. Speaking with newsmen, Kyenge in company of his PDP colleagues, expressed concern that the Benue state government had failed to pay workers six months salaries, amidst rising insecurity in the state.

They also accused the Speaker of corruption and again demanded the resignation of the principal officers in the House. However, the Speaker on his part dismissed the claims of the PDP lawmakers and accused 13 of them violating the law in the purchase of the cars which prompted the EFCC probe.