The House of Representatives on Tuesday descended into a rowdy session following the rejection of a motion concerning land allocations at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex.
The motion, sponsored by Ademorin Kuye, an All Progressives Congress, APC, lawmaker representing Shomolu Federal Constituency of Lagos, sought an investigation into the alleged illegal allocation of federal government lands within the complex.
Kuye urged the House to mandate its Committee on Public Assets to conduct the probe. However, Francis Waive, Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, proposed an amendment that the investigation be handled instead by the Committee on Commerce.
His suggestion was supported by Mark Esset, a lawmaker from Akwa Ibom State. Yusuf Gagdi, representing Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency of Plateau State, opposed the amendment, insisting that the Committee on Public Assets was the appropriate body to lead the inquiry.
As tensions rose and disagreements persisted, Gbefwi Gaza, a member from Nasarawa State, acting on the advice of Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, proposed the creation of an ad hoc committee composed of members from both the Commerce and Public Assets Committees to jointly investigate the matter.
When the proposal was subjected to a voice vote, the “nays” appeared louder than the “ayes,” leading the presiding officer to rule in favour of the majority. The decision triggered widespread protests among lawmakers, who subsequently rejected all other motions that followed.
One of the rejected motions sought the establishment of a military base in the Baruten/Kaima Federal Constituency of Kwara State to tackle rising insecurity in the region. Another motion that was set to address Nigeria’s recent designation as a “Country of Particular Concern” by U.S. President Donald Trump could not be debated due to the chaos.
In a bid to restore order, Deputy Speaker Kalu eventually called for an executive session, bringing proceedings to a temporary halt.
