5 suspended Reps beg for pardon

5 suspended Reps beg for pardon

| Print | E-mail

Written by Idowu Samuel, Abuja Friday, 05 November 2010

The House of Representatives is set to grant pardon to five of its suspended members who have made moves to reconcile with the leadership and their colleagues.
A report on the suspension of members of the House on the basis of plot they hatched for the removal of the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, whom they alleged of financial impropriety, was laid before the plenary on Thursday.
Some of the suspended members had, however, vowed not to plead for mercy, having taken the leadership to court to challenge their suspension. Prominent among them are Honourables Dino Melaye, Solomon Awhinawi, Doris Uboh, Bitrus Kase and Independence Ogunewe.
The five members, including Honourables West Idahosa, Gbenga Onigbogi, Austin Nwachukwu, Gbenga Oduwaye and Kayode Amusan, had earlier appealed for reconsideration of their suspension by the leadership with moves to reconcile with their colleagues.
The members had at different times submitted themselves to the Ethics and Privileges   Committees of the House for investigation in the alleged misconduct in the chamber of the House on June 22 which led to their suspension.
Indications that the affected members would regain their seats emerged when they tabled their cases for consideration and pardon, just as some of them who had initially filed cases challenging the suspension by the leadership, withdrew the cases in the interest of peace.
Addressing the media on the issue, the House and Chairman of Media and Public Affairs, Honourable Eseme Eyibo said the process of intervention into the matter by the leadership had commenced.
He disclosed that the act of magnanimity which is about being shown to the suspended members had emanated from pressure from both within and outside the House with pleas by those most concerned that justice be tempered with mercy for the suspended members.