Ireti Kingibe, the senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), briefly stormed out of the Senate chamber on Thursday after Senate President Godswill Akpabio declined to allow her motion on the ongoing demolitions in Abuja.
Kingibe had earlier notified her colleagues of a motion calling for a probe into the Federal Capital Development Authority’s (FCDA) intensified demolition activities, which was scheduled for discussion on Thursday. However, her motion was not included in the order paper, prompting her to question its omission.
In response, Akpabio cited Senate rules, stating, “We took a matter of urgent public importance, and by our rules, we should only take one a day.”
He suggested Kingibe resubmit her motion for future consideration, adding, “The Senate cannot go up and down. If we have already started the orders of the day, we cannot go back.”
Frustrated by the refusal, Kingibe walked out of the chamber but later returned to apologise for her actions. Following her apology, she was allowed to move her motion, and the Senate resolved to investigate the demolitions in the FCT.
The FCDA, under the leadership of Nyesom Wike, has recently ramped up demolitions of “illegally” constructed estates and shanties in Abuja, citing security risks.
The demolitions have sparked public outcry, with many residents and stakeholders calling for greater scrutiny of the process.
, briefly stormed out of the Senate chamber on Thursday after){kind=link}