Kingibe had raised the issue during Wednesday’s plenary, but was directed by Akpabio to present it at Thursday’s plenary
By Kehinde Okeowo
Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe on Thursday, walked out of the chamber after she was prevented from presenting a motion aimed at halting ongoing demolition in Abuja by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
The mild drama occurred during a plenary session, which had been proceeding smoothly until the senator was denied the opportunity to present her motion.
Kingibe had raised the issue during Wednesday’s plenary, but Senate President, Godswill Akpabio directed her to present it at Thursday’s plenary for extensive debate.
However, when she attempted to present the motion again, she was stopped due to its absence from the order paper.
According to Akpabio, the motion to suspend the ongoing demolition of structures in Abuja under Nyesom Wike’s leadership of the FCT, particularly an estate around the Life Camp area, was not included on the order paper as required by Senate rules.
The incident sparked a heated argument, prompting Kingibe to pack her belongings and walk out of the chamber.
The situation was, however, brought under control when other senators, including Asuquo Ekpenyong, Oyelola and Ashiru, intervened and pleaded with the senate president to allow the senator to return and present her motion.
After some minutes, Kingibe returned to the chamber and was directed by the senate president to apologise for her actions.
Initially, she refused, but later apologised after the senate president’s insistence.
Kingibe’s motion was motivated by concerns over the demolition of structures in Abuja, particularly the estate owned by the late Paul Ogbebor, a retired colonel.
