National House of Assembly (Now NATIONAL SLAPPING AND BOXING ASSEMBLY)

In October 2004, Senator Isa Mohammed (Niger State) forsook legislative decorum to slap Senator Iyabo Anisulowo (Ogun State) over a senate committee disagreement. The victim was too shocked to reply. About two weeks later, as if attempting to prove gender equality, a female member of the House of Representatives, Iquo Minima, delivered a thunderous slap to the gentlemanly face of her colleague, Hon Emmanuel Bwacha. Like the longsuffering Mrs Anisulowo, Bwacha was also dazed to reply the compliment. Some analysts suggested in those unsavoury slapping days that even if Anisulowo had attempted to redeem her honour a worse injury could have been inflicted on her by the beefy Mohammed. In the case of Minima’s effrontery, it was felt Bwacha stayed his fury so as not to commit murder, for he would have broken the termagant into pieces had he thrown the punches his fury dictated. It was interesting how in 2004 chauvinism cancelled out chivalry, and misanthropy undermined misogyny.
It’s hard to say now whether the violence that took place on the floor of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, 22nd June 2010 was an improvement of martial arts or a decline of the stately detachment and urbaness the public had come to expect from their legislators. What is, however evident was that 11 legislators from the House planned a putsch to unseat the speaker, Mr Dimeji Bankole, over allegations of fraud involving capital expenditure of about nine billion naira. Not satisfied taking the matter before the court of public opinion, where it met qualified support, and the EFCC, the Dino Melaye (Kogi State) group decided to plan a boxers’ rebellion. Describing themselves in-appropriately as Progressive-minded Legislators (PML), the 11 putschists adopted unorthodox methods to get rid of the Speaker. Unfortunately for them, the coup was unpopular, and it was put down so violently that the country was left nonplussed.
Suspended Lawmakers
Hon. Dino Melaye
Hon. Ehiogie West-Idahosa
Hon. Independence Ogunewe
Hon. Solomon Awhinawi
Hon. Austin Nwachukwu
Hon. Abbas Anas
Hon. Gbenga Oduwaiye
Hon. Kayode Amusan
Hon. Gbenga Onigbogi
Hon. Bitrus Kaze
Hon. Doris Uboh