The hallowed sanctums of the Senate, a place where decorum, dialogue and diplomacy are the operating standard; certainly not the place where a boxing championship is fought and won. However, that is what happened in an atimes rancorous legislative session on Wednesday.
At one point during the sitting, Senator Kabir Marafa (Zamfara Central), threw a punch at another lawmaker, Senator Paulinus Igwe from Ebonyi Central.
Although most observers at the sitting believe that the cause of the uproar was the State of the Nation Address Bill which was being presented by Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, the official Senate line lays the blame on a request by another Senator, Bashir Lado (Kano Central), to be allowed to introduce a motion.
The bill, which was passed by the National Assembly on May 16, 2013, was returned by President Goodluck Jonathan, who proposed some amendments to it. The Senate however, was divided on whether to override the President’s veto on the bill or consider his proposed amendments.
Some were of the opinion that the President had no constitutional power to propose amendments to a bill passed by the National Assembly. Others said he could, citing Section 88 of the Senate Standing Orders, which allows the President to send observations back to the National Assembly where he has any misgivings on any bill already passed.
The plenary was going on smoothly with intermittent muffled voices, but confusion began when Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, raised a point of order asking for an adjournment of the debate.
Ekweremadu relied on Order 70(1a) of the Senate Rules, which reads, “The following matters not open to debate, shall be moved without argument or opinion offered, and shall be forthwith put from the Chair without amendment: motion for adjournment of debate.”
He argued that since the matter would need the co-assent of the House of Representatives and had become controversial, there was the need to adjourn the debate and confer with the lower house for a common position.
While agreeing with Ekweremadu, Senate President, David Mark put the question to the house. When the nays appeared to have it, Mark delayed the ruling, thus creating a stalemate which lasted for about 25 minutes.
During this stalemate, a shouting match ensued among Senators Marafa, Igwe and Lado. The quarrel reached a crescendo, Marafa threw a punch at Igwe, narrowly missing his face before other senators quickly intervened. Igwe did not retaliate.
Reacting to the uproar, Mark noted that disagreements had always been resolved amicably by senators and not through fisticuffs. In other words, they were big men and not schoolkids.
“We are distinguished senators. We have ways of resolving issues not by boxing.”
Please can we get back to using those “ways”?
[Photo H/T: YNaija]