By: Bayero Ade
Tensions ran high in the Senate on Thursday as FCT Senator Ireti Kingibe walked out of the chamber after being prevented from presenting a motion calling for the suspension of demolitions in Abuja.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio had previously advised Kingibe to bring the motion to Thursday’s plenary. However, the motion was omitted from the order paper, reportedly because the Senate Committee on Rules and Business had not received a draft of it.
Senator Titus Zam, the committee’s chairman, explained that his office never received the motion. This sparked a heated exchange, during which Kingibe gathered her belongings and exited the chamber in frustration.
Efforts by fellow senators to calm the situation led to Kingibe’s return, but only after Akpabio insisted she apologize for leaving the chamber in protest. Although initially reluctant, she eventually complied, allowing the session to resume.
The motion was later addressed, with the Senate agreeing to establish an eight-member ad hoc committee to engage with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) regarding the demolition activities.
In a related resolution, the Senate directed the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) to suspend all ongoing demolitions—except for those mandated by court orders—until the committee concludes its discussions with the FCTA.
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