Twitter ban: PDP Reps protest as Gbajabiamila rejects demand

Members of the Peoples Democratic Party in the House of Representatives staged a walkout in protest of Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila’s refusal to accept their petition about the Federal Government’s Twitter ban.

Gbajabiamila had already requested that relevant House committees investigate the situation within 10 days.

Much later, Kingsley Chinda, the PDP caucus leader, raised a point of order to request that the House ask the Federal Government to withdraw the ban awaiting the outcome of the investigation.

The implication, according to Chinda, is that the prohibition will last for 10 days, meaning that Nigerians’ rights will be suspended for that time.

Gbajabiamila, on the other hand, cited a section of the House Standing Orders that states that a matter that has been resolved by the parliament cannot be debated again.

As a result, the Speaker ruled Chinda out of order, a decision that did not sit well with the opposition.

Chinda led other PDP members out of the chamber after insisting on speaking despite multiple House leaders shutting him down.

They then told journalists that the action was taken to defend Nigerians.