Rep members clash over sitting arrangement, office allocation

Some House of Representatives members have protested against alleged discrimination in allocation of seats and offices for the members.

The lawmakers, numbering about 100 who openly protested against the perceived tendencies in Abuja on Tuesday, said the ugly trend was capable of causing setback on legislative activities.

The House Committee on Welfare, chaired by Olawale Raji (APC-Lagos), was saddled with the responsibility of allocation of seats for members.

The protesting lawmakers were mostly first-timers who described the seats allocated to them at one of the temporary chambers as unconducive as they were allocated seats in the third floor.

Some of the lawmakers protested against allocation of offices to the members.

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According to the list issued by the Welfare Committee, 240 members were allotted for the second floor, while a few members, including some first-timers, were allocated seats on the ground floor.

Responding to the development, the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, called for calm, assuring that the main chamber which is currently undergoing renovation would be completed before the House resume from recess.

The Chairman, Ad hoc Committee on Media, Khadijat Bukar-Ibrahim, said there was a slight uproar during the plenary session.

She said the allocation of offices is the responsibility of the Welfare Committee which had actually done the work and allocated offices to each and every member.

Bukar-Ibrahim said: “And as far as the seats are concerned, you know we are in a temporary seating area, so there are not enough seats for all members to sit downstairs. So, some have to be accommodated upstairs.

“So, there was a slide uproar, not a huge one about not hearing the microphone from downstairs.

“Mr. Speaker had since directed that members should occupy any seat they find downstairs and everybody was happy.”

The Star