Manager to Lawan: You’re a fool . Lawan to Manager: You’re stupid Ripples from the political crisis rocking Rivers State hit the Senate yesterday, with senators engaging in a shouting match that nearly degenerated into exchange of blows. This was the third such uproar in the Senate in the past one year, and it happened a day after a similar commotion in the House of Representatives over leadership tussle between the two main parties. Trouble started yesterday during the presentation of a motion by Senator Wilson Ake (APC, Rivers), co-sponsored with 30 other All Progressives Congress colleagues, on the January 12 police attack on a political rally in Port Harcourt. That incident led to the alleged shooting in the chest of Senator Magnus Abe, also amember of the APC, but which the police authorities denied. Abe is now receiving treatment in the United Kingdom. Ake yesterday presented a motion urging the Senate to condemn the police attack and to demand the redeployment of Rivers Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu. When he ended his presentation, Senator Thomson Sekibo (PDP, Rivers) was asked to make contribution on the motion. As he spoke to fault the submissions of Ake, APC senators began interrupting and shouting. Senator Ahmad Lawan (APC, Yobe) said they had facts about the role of the police in the Port Harcourt crisis, but he too was greeted with chants of ‘No!’ from PDP senators. In the ensuing shouting match, Senator James Manager (PDP Delta) told Lawan: “You are a fool; you should shut up!” This apparently infuriated Lawan, who retorted: “You are very stupid! You are very stupid! You must apologise!” Senator Alkali Jajere (APC, Yobe) joined the fray as he left his seat and charged towards Manager, apparently spoiling for a fight. Manager also stood up, readying himself for a possible attack. Soon, the chamber was in total bedlam as many senators took sides along party lines, shouting and charging at each other. The uproar was brought under control about 15 minutes later through the intervention other senators. Speaking after the incident, Senate President David Mark condemned the action of his colleagues, describing what happened as unfortunate. He wondered why lawmakers who were seeking an end to the Rivers crisis would try to plunge the Senate into another crisis. Mark asked Lawan and Manager to embrace each other as a sign of cessation of hostilities, and they did that. Following this, debate on the Rivers crisis motion went on, and Sekibo completed his comments on it. The Senate then resolved to invite Inspector General of Police Mohammed Abubakar to brief lawmakers on the trouble in Rivers. It also condemned the Rivers Police Command for the shooting of Senator Abe as well other victims of the January 12 incident at the Rivers State College of Arts and Science in Port Harcourt. However, the Senate rejected a prayer in the motion which sought the immediate redeployment of the Rivers State Police Commissioner. This is in spite of its resolution last year demanding that the commissioner be transferred. Earlier in his motion, Ake said it was sad that the police stormed the venue of the inauguration of the Save Rivers Movement on January 12 and dispersed the people, firing gunshots and tear gas. He said the “premeditated” attack amounted to encouraging impunity and was an act of recklessness by the police. “This grotesque out-scale Nigeria Police excesses to a peaceful rally and political gathering, especially in circumstances that lack evidence of immediate threat to life and human safety, has enormous implication for the whole country at this moment of our socio-political life,” Ake said.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 09:50:34 +0000
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