Bid to Invite Tinubu Triggers Uproar in House of Representatives
A proposal to invite President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address the House of Representatives sparked a heated confrontation on Wednesday, with lawmakers engaging in a tense debate that briefly threw plenary into disarray.
The controversy began after Benedict Etanabene, who represents the Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency of Delta State, raised a point of privilege over a June 29 circular issued by the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi.
According to Etanabene, the directive had generated widespread public concern and required urgent legislative scrutiny.
He argued that, given the significance of the issues raised, President Tinubu should be invited to appear before the Green Chamber to offer explanations and respond to lawmakers’ concerns.
The proposal immediately split the House, with members expressing sharply different views.
While supporters maintained that the National Assembly has a constitutional responsibility to hold the executive accountable on matters of public interest, others argued that summoning the President was neither necessary nor in line with established constitutional practice.
As the debate intensified, lawmakers repeatedly interrupted one another, shouting across the chamber in a noisy exchange that forced the presiding officer to intervene several times in an effort to restore order.
Although calm was eventually restored, the atmosphere remained tense as deliberations continued, underscoring the deep divisions among lawmakers over the scope of the legislature’s oversight powers and its relationship with the executive arm of government.
The incident is the latest in a series of confrontations in the House of Representatives, reflecting growing disagreements over governance, accountability and the exercise of legislative oversight.
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