Rita Odafe
An accusation has been made against Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu of the House of Representatives, claiming that he is favoring longstanding members over first-term members during discussions.
Cyril Hart, representing the Bonny/Degema federal constituency of Rivers State, brought up this issue during a debate about the recent su*cide bombings in Borno State.
The discussion on the Borno bombings was initiated by Ahmed Jaha (APC, Borno). While the debate was ongoing, Deputy Speaker Kalu allowed contributions from former Deputy Speaker Idris Wase, Chairman of the Committee on Navy Yusuf Gagdi, and Chairman of the Committee on Defence Babajimi Benson. Despite several members indicating their desire to speak, Kalu mentioned time constraints and concluded the debate.
When Kalu proceeded to call for a vote on the motion, Hart raised a point of order. He accused the deputy speaker of displaying bias towards new members, pointing out that only senior members were given speaking opportunities on the motion. Hart stated that this partiality was a consistent occurrence under Kalu’s leadership, with senior members regularly receiving preferential treatment.
Expressing his discontent, Hart, with some lawmakers supporting him, reiterated, “You don’t give preference to first-timers… you don’t. This is what you always do. You need to allow for first-timers.”
In response, Kalu asserted, “There is no discrimination in the parliament.”
Unsatisfied with this response, Mr. Hart persisted in speaking even after his microphone was turned off by the presiding officer and subsequently left the chamber in protest.
