Rivers’ inelegant tumble

I got the combination of my favourite street urchins, Yoruba garage tout film, plus world wrestling entertainment.The man with the mace was well dressed and you would surely accord him respect if you saw him in your neighbourhood. But his next action was totally opposite of his demeanour. He landed the mace on his victim’s […]

I got the combination of my favourite street urchins, Yoruba garage tout film, plus world wrestling entertainment.
The man with the mace was well dressed and you would surely accord him respect if you saw him in your neighbourhood. But his next action was totally opposite of his demeanour. He landed the mace on his victim’s forehead and the mace lost its head too. As if waiting for the victim to confirm the blood drizzling from his forehead, the assailant landed the remains of the mace on his victim’s back. All other members of the rather shrewd house were nimble for their safety, except for another victim. Perhaps, he was destined for chastisement.
Like a written script, a uni-formed man and few other men also took turns in aggravating the situation in the state House of Assembly into a royal bout. It was typical of the shield (in the present day wrestling) pouncing on their victim in different styles.
I wonder where the video camera stood to painstakingly cover the event, although TVC’s memory card said to have been seized by security operatives was later returned after oodles of plea. I further learnt that, the twenty-seven pro- Amaechi lawmakers actually went to reinforce after being initially chased out of the House by the five anti-Amaechi members of the house, perhaps with the help of some thugs. Their return was what led to rancour in the House. And for the first time after sixteen became majority in the Governors’ Forum, five members of the House as against twenty seven were sufficient enough to impeach the speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly.
Although, converting our houses of lords and commons into a battlefield isn’t new as we have, at one point or the other experienced one form of physical combat or the other in our legislative buildings. It perplexes me to imagine that, five members of the House will just wake up one day and decide to impeach the speaker of the House. It’s so audacious and outrageous. A friend said
perhaps they have nursed this ambition for long. On the contrary, I find it difficult to believe that events turned out coincidentally when Governor Amaechi is going through some hard times with the
presidency.
In a shocking display of legislative shenanigan, the self-acclaimed “new speaker” ordained by the “fantastic five” still came back to the House to deliver his supposed inaugural speech in a fretful voice. To make the entire scenario more mesmerising, the twenty-seven pro-Amaechi lawmakers also came back afterwards and amended the appropriation bill presented by the Deputy Governor and passed it into law.  As it seems now, the Rivers House of Assembly has been divided just like the Governors’ Forum, with two speakers. One with twenty-six followers, the other with four followers! Only in Nigeria!
Moshood Isah<[email protected]>;