Pascal Arogorn Ibe
Representative of Oguta state constituency in the Imo House of Assembly, Hon. Frank Ugboma, a lawyer, has described the recent amendment of some portions of the house rules as an abuse of legislative process designed to silence some lawmakers.
Speaking to newsmen in Owerri Monday, Ugoma said that the ammendment offends sections of the constitution bordering on fair hearing.
He stated that in trying to regulate the House, members of the House should not be ambushed, adding that every member has the right to make contributions.
The lawmaker also noted that the process of the amendment which was orally done on point of order was wrong as there should have been a formal notice served on the members by way of a motion.
He argued that, “A point of order is only raised when there is an emergency to that effect and there was no emergency warranting this ammendment; it was an orchestrated plan to shut up some people.
“This obnoxious amendment offends all sound logic and it is aimed at discouraging members from demanding their rights.”
The Deputy Speaker, Hon. Amarachi Iwuanyawu (APC Nwangele) at the last sitting moved a motion seeking to relax Order 11 and rules 61, 62 and 63 of the house.
The section states that “any member who misbehaves will be suspended for that sitting if the offense is not considered serious, but where the said offense is considered to be a serious offense, the offender will be suspended for a period of two weeks.”
But the amendment motion moved by the Deputy Speaker seeks to suspend members who misbehave and recall them at the discretion of the House members.
The motion was adopted by the House.
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