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By Ogaga Ifowodo The ugly spectacle of the “street fight” that broke out in the Rivers State House of Assembly on July 9 gives further and better particulars of our determination to forever make nonsense of representative governance and a fool of ourselves. In the even more shaming light of attempts at justification by a protagonist of the latest episode in our unending political theatre of the absurd, I restate my view that perhaps our political predicament lies in the insistence on practising democracy without democrats. And in far too many instances, with near-illiterates, which is worse — if comparatives make any sense at this point. “Honourable” Evans Bipi, one of the chief brawlers in the aforementioned incident, is currently the butt of jokes for confessing that he was provoked into violence when a colleague blasphemed Jesus Christ in the person of Mrs Patience Jonathan. [caption id="attachment_402954" align="alignnone" width="412"] Hon Evan Bapaka...

The nation and the world at large got a shocker on Tuesday, 9th July 2013 when the simmering crisis in the state’s chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Rivers State House of Assembly resulted in a free-for-all in the House chamber. Members of the Assembly were seen attacking one another with dangerous objects which left some of them seriously injured and hospitalised. The faction of five members of the House opposed to Governor Chibuike Amaechi, threw caution to the winds and assembled early that day and announced they had impeached the Speaker, Hon Otelemabala Amachree. In his place, Hon Evans Bipi presented himself as the new Speaker. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 stipulates that for the impeachment of any elected official to be valid, not less than two-thirds of the members of the House must vote in its favour. This clearly did not happen. The most regrettable part of it was that the Police, having been intimated of the possibility of tro...

By Abdulwahab Abdallah, Brith Ogunkilede  & Wilson Yafu Rivers —At least four members of the Rivers State House of Assembly were yesterday brutalised in a fracas that literally painted the walls of the Assembly complex with blood. At the end of the squabble, the group of five legislators opposed to the governor claimed to have removed Speaker Otelemaba Amachree. Their claim was, however, quickly repudiated by 23 members who flocked in support of the speaker. [caption id="attachment_403063" align="alignnone" width="412"] House of trouble—Hon. Evans Bapakaye in a scuffle with Mobile Police officers during the fight at the Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday in Port Harcourt. Photos: Nwankpa Chijioke[/caption] Yesterday’s violent clash happened on the first day of sitting since the political upheaval in the state triggered by removal of the structures of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP from Governor Amaechi about three months ago. Computers and ...