Benue House plenary ends in fiasco over member’s comments

The plenary session of the Benue House of Assembly ended in a fiasco on Wednesday following comments by a member.

Benjamin Adanyi (ACN-Makurdi South) stirred the hornet's nest when he said that local government elections were not conducted in the state in November 2012.

The assembly could not conclude the report of its committee on electoral matters and civil society because of the comment.

Adanyi said what was experienced in the state during the purported local government election was a rape of democracy, stressing that the electorate was not given the opportunity to elect their leaders.

'They did not have access to ballot boxes and papers because the materials were hijacked by the powers that be in the various wards,' he said.

Adanyi's comments caused uproar in the house, especially from members of the PDP, who were shouting that the report was on the half year budget appraisal of the Benue Independent Electoral Commission and not on the election that took place in 2012.

They cautioned Adanyi in chorus to limit himself to the report that was before the house and not to go outside the report, stressing that he should wait for the report of the election to be presented for deliberation before he could be allowed to bare his mind on the issues that bothered him about the election.

The PDP Members did not view Adanyi's comments with levity, as they shouted that it was a slap to the entire state and he was also indicting the commission without any variable evidence.

They were shouting in chorus rebuking Adanyi for making unguided statement which ought not to have come from a well informed person like him.

It was at this instance that the Speaker, Mr Terhile Ayua called on the Majority Leader, Mr Paul Biam to move a motion to discontinue the debate owing to the fact that the atmosphere was becoming tensed, stressing that the best option was to put the debate on hold for the mean time.

Biam then moved the motion urging the house to discontinue the debate as suggested by the speaker.

The motion was seconded by the Minority Leader, Mr Adugu Gbileve.

Ruling, the speaker then instructed the majority leader to slate the report for debate on another date.