By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the recent unprincipled conduct of one of its member, Rep. Mascott Ikwechegh, lawmaker representing Aba North and South Federal Constituency of Abia state, who assaulted a e-hailing cab driver on Sunday October 27, 2024, in Abuja.
This was sequel to the adoption of a prayer of the Leader of the House, Rep. Julius Ihonbvere, coming under privilege of the House rule on Tuesday at plenary.
The House Leader stated that the image of the House must be protected especially the fact that there has been a conscious efforts from previous assemblies to remove negative image when interacting with the outside world.
According to him, “It is the way you do your house, the role you have to manage your house, that outsiders will see, and give respect to the problems in your house”.
“In fact, Mr. Speaker, the tendency has been for people, particularly in certain sectors, to say how to respect the existence of the house of rules.
“In this house, we come from different professional backgrounds, and different cultures, and many of us have invested so heavily into improving the reputation before we came here. It is that reputation that we brought to the Representatives, that has a huge impact on education.
“We all have to meditate where we go, who we talk to, how we talk to them, how we relate to them. And sometimes you do not have to just allow this to happen. Sometimes you have to help the institution, and we have the responsibility to do this.
“To lead this institution to where it can go, where we can handle it, so that those that will come to the house, will have a place to be part of us. Our goal is to have together a value in that stands.
“I want to say that what has been in the news, and what we have learned about it, is that one of our members was involved with a citizen”.
But Rep. Ikwechegh coming under personal explanation, explained and apologised to the House for his unprincipled conduct and the use of derogatory words on the e-hailing cab driver and said that the matter was been resolved with the driver.
Rep. Babajimi Benson, lawmaker representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency of Lagos State, said Parliament is one of the most hated institutions in Nigeria and the reason members must be guided and know that Nigerians are authority over lawmakers.
He said: “Mr. Speaker, our elders have always said that the day we stop learning is the day we die. They also say that we learn from mistakes and not from successes. However, Parliament is one of the most hated institutions in Nigeria today.
“We are watched morning, afternoon and night, despite the fact that most of us have very noble intentions for the people of Nigeria. We should always be guided and also know that we are not an authority over Nigerians, Nigerians are an authority over us.
“They should be treated with dignity, with respect and with kindness at all times. So if we abideby this politically, Mr. Speaker, we will begin and continue to change that heavily battered image, the garment of which we all wear. So I call on you, Mr. Speaker, I raise my case on these three points”.
The presiding officer in person of the Deputy Speaker, Rep. Benjamin Kalu, said the House was guided by its rules and that if the integrity of the House was threatened then it calls for an investigative.
“The truth is that we cannot act according to our rules. We cannot act according to what anyone wants us to do. We are guided by our rules. And I also maintain that if at any point we feel that the integrity, the dignity of the parliament, has been threatened, has been scratched, we will investigate through our impartial structure in the eyes of principles of Nigerian justice, which is fair dialogue.
“That is what we put in our rules. It is not good for us to judge, you know, ahead of time and take the last decision. Therefore, in line with the prayers of the leader of the house, that this matter be referred to the committee of eighties and privilege for him to be heard”.
Whe put to vote the House unanimously adopted the motion and mandated its Commitee on Ethics and Privileges to investigate and report back within 2 weeks for further legislative action.
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