 Good morning, welcome back to the breakfast on Plos TV Africa. Right now, we'll be digging deep into the facts of what occurred yesterday in IMO State, where gunshots were heard and that's because the IMO speaker had suspended minority leader and five other lawmakers when I've been joined by Mr. Igrim. Good morning, thank you for joining us, the suspended chief whip. Thank you for having me. Okay, so I want you to help us understand what happened yesterday. Why were you suspended, along with five other lawmakers, and the basis was quote unquote, unpalimentary conduct? Could you explain to us what that means, please? Yeah, this line is, the line is, it didn't what happened in IMO State yesterday. Yes, why were you suspended and what did they mean when they say you were suspended for unpalimentary conduct? Well, to me, it's still a mystery because I'm a ranking member of the House. I, that language is very funny because two days ago, I met with the speaker. We had a, we have a very fast together. And yesterday when the class convened, ordinarily, we supposed to have what is called the executive section. But we noticed that some speaker and the dedicated speaker went to her class with some names that were from the other colleagues, some of them. And they put down the script to be out of the play, Larry. And there you go. We want to know that I don't know if they said some people are suspended and myself as the chief whip. The mouth which we share by default. So I don't know, that's not because I'm not in London or the 11th of the study rule of the House. If you're a member, if you're a part of something or a part one thing, you'll be able to find what is called the epitome of privileges. We are, the person will be tried and you come and explain what is, I mean, the young position is here. You have to hear him out. You can't, you can't pass a judgment on somebody as involved. So to me, it's unbelievable that. This is the case that you have this recently. And this in our nation, democracy, somebody can go to parliamentary parliamentary conduct. I don't know. I have so many years. I don't know. I don't know how of that language. Somebody has committed a mission. I have to put into that according to the rules of the house. If this matter is taken to cost, because we rely on the rules of the house. This has not been taken care of. And even the House Commission on the Information. I don't know. I was a chief. I was another to. Now, now I'm the chief. know the job. I wonder how people that have never taken up to three years in the house, because somebody has taken three years, but I don't know what I'm doing. So that's the justice. So the issue of actually what we're doing should be directed to the speaker and his cohorts. All right, Mr. Aiguem, was there any controversy, you know, in the last few days or weeks leading to yesterday's events? There is some of the papers are reporting that there might have been issues concerning mismanagement of funds. Mismanagement of funds by who? In any of the tiers of government, in the local government level, in the state house of assembly, or maybe in emo states in general. I'm not that aware of that. Okay. Go ahead. Go ahead. Let's hear you. Okay. Over the, like what I've said to your sister and patients, our speaker can tell me he has been there this morning, over eight months now, I've not been able to do anything to take the house, to meet the governor. And our governor is a giver, our governor is the father. And come on for a certain, certain, certain benefits have not been given to us. So maybe I'm wondering why the time they have a speaker, they can't interface with their governor. Even with the past security breach in emo states, we have wanted to meet the governor to sympathize with him, but our speaker refused. So we don't know how this is fired up. And nobody, we were taking this with a, we are taking it with a feeling that this is our speaker, we believe they've been slain. So I don't know. And they don't know that nothing is that, for the past three, four days, members have been showing their anger in our WhatsApp group. And that was all, that wasn't, maybe if it is because of people, some people commented on WhatsApp group, they are making to kind of give their suspension. But what of us has been, I've never commented, I'm a ranking member. Okay. What kind of comments are you referring to now? I mean, I mean, if you are a human being, I wonder people have not been given land. People have not been given land. People have not been given their rights. People have not been able to see the governor. And we are, we are meant to meet what we are meant to do. Our constitution is not there, or the other things that are tied to the constitution or the last budget. We've not been seen. And above all, session of people went on that process, both our confidence on the governor, which is 100 percent okay, crazy for aggression on autonomy. And the autonomy, financial autonomy, has not even been laid before the house. So, I'm sure that our ranking has seen this as a abnormal. Mr. Hagrim, you mentioned during your first answer to our questions that you had had breakfast with the speaker. This was two days ago. So, everything seemed fine. And then yesterday, you know, this happened. But you mentioned that before that, they had gone to a hotel with some other lawmakers. So, and then you also went on to talk about a particular WhatsApp group and squabbles in there. So then are you saying that the basis for your suspension and that of other members are personal and nothing official? I don't know. I don't, I think that I'm lost. So, what I know is that the same day, the same day they go to the speaker, when I say, ma'am, I was saying that things are not normal. I went to them this week. I found out from myself, Mr. Mora, what is going on? He said, it's been two months that I'm not being with the former governor, Rocha Socrucha. I said, hey, Rocha Socrucha is my brother. I'm from Higato, I'm from Higato town. So, I don't know. That is not an issue. Then maybe with our equivalent governor, he said, brother, it's a man who gave me money when I was six. So, what are you people making on this? Unfroding rumors. He said, he had it from the power of a program. But he said, that's your own business. And I left him talking. So, that's it. So, Mr. Igrim, can you also react to a statement by the speaker who had said that the decision to suspend you and the other five lawmakers was taken at the executive session of the House? And another statement here is saying that there was actually no executive session. So, was there actually an executive session? If you have your member or your current fund, that's the way it is. This can only go to the person of the age or the brother who has stopped. Five hours from then, there was nothing executive session yesterday. There was no executive session. There was no executive session. There was just something that the man decided to some group of people and West 1 Hotel to formalize this. Although, if you want to, I was not suspended. I was only to leave off my position. But since I was to leave, I was suspended. And for you to sustain, like I said, under our rule, under our rule of 11, under 11, these people should come to you. They will be what it is called. They will be kind of someone, and they will say, why are you conducting an up-for-adventure conduct? So, nothing like that was done. You mentioned the financial autonomy bill not passed yet, but there's people who went ahead to thank the governor and congratulate him. Do you know these people and are they some of the people who have now been appointed? Well, I think some of this, like I said, I'm only saying it's my own part of the story, because this is the story now, as Gorsha was able to name the terms of assembly, chiefsmen's vote was suspended, the chiefs were removed. But what I'm saying to you is that some of the if I had or what is legal, it should have been committed by the foreign administration. So, if you want to know, for the past eight months, no member bill has been treated, when the speaker conveys the house, when there's an executive bill or any executive business has to be done, that's how parliament is drawn. So, if you were going to vote with regards, there was going to be a vote of confidence on the speaker. Where would you stand? Do you think he's capable of handling the activities as speaker of the Emo State House of Assembly? Well, today, I mean, for him to have, the governor who is a parliamentary might have seen some quality in, but the problem we're having in the house started when the house, when the standing rules of the house was amended to allow nonranking members to be speaker and deputy speaker. Because there's always experience in parliament. Parliament is not for all commons. But the fact that the deputy speaker is a nonranking member, the speaker is a nonranking member. So anything they believe is true, the value is the right thing. And they keep the step up from advice from people like us. Because as far as it is, as far as the safety of the house, I'm a member of the house. So I'm an institution of parliament. Okay? So that is it. Okay, well, like you've said, there are not people who have a lot of experience in the house. What steps do you think you will be taking now? Would you be approaching the governor, even if you already mentioned that you've not had access to the governor? Well, do you think you will have access to the governor? You mentioned that it was a problem getting to see the governor in the last long while. Do you think that might be even more difficult now? If that's a war happened, he would definitely invite us, definitely, nobody soon, as a father, a give-up father, a giver. All right, Mr. Igrim, I want us to get more clarity on the gunshots that was heard from that place. Was that really gunshots fired? Who fired the gunshots? Do you have those answers? And do the security aides actually bring in weapons? Are they allowed to bring in weapons to the house? That is also the problem because I find out that if you are holding a gunshot, half of the people that I was seeing were policemen with guns. So the gunshots, there was a lot of gunshots and it got that, but I didn't know who are the people that were shooting because it was a gunshot, right? And the gunshot was fired, many, many of them, so I got gunshots. So my own policemen asked me about questions from there. Okay, do you have any information if anyone sustained injuries? No, not to my own knowledge. Okay, Mr. Igrim, you just mentioned that since the speaker, his channel, there's been like militarization, so to speak, you said policemen have been carrying guns. You're saying this wasn't how it was before? Pardon? You mentioned that since the ten of the speaker that policemen have been carrying guns in the house. So I'm trying to get confirmation from you if it wasn't like this before. Policemen didn't use to carry guns in the house during plenary before? It's the same problem. It's still at the whole nice criminal state. It's different from other houses of assembly. I mean, we don't bring in guns. We are arguments have been, I mean, so I don't know why it's like that. So do you think that's something that should be looked into? Because I mean, it's a dangerous weapon. Anyone could have sustained injuries. Anyone could have been hurt. Anyone could have lost their lives. So do you think that's something that needs to be, you know, addressed? Okay. I'm taking us back to some of the things that you mentioned. You said the people who had complained, and one of the things that they had complained about is they were not giving land. What land exactly were they meant to be given that they're complaining about? I don't have to go now because you told me that I would spend 10 minutes, right? Yeah, the land, I mean, the land is for two to three. Once you are inaugurated as a house member, you'll be given a land. The system pays your house rent for two years. And we'll stay two years. And that's what is called constitutive project. Right now, I have nothing to show you my constituents that I've done anything. That is inside the, was it better in the project, right? All right. Otto Eggwim, thank you very much for spending time with us this morning. We would follow up with, you know, events from the Emo State House of Assembly, and we hope that we can speak with you again. Thank you very much for the opportunity. Thank you. Bye-bye. All right. It seems like there's just a couple of personal issues that have snowballed into... Seems like that to me. This, you know, I was also going to ask, you know, what's the challenge with having a relationship with the former governor, if that's also a reason that, you know, can't get someone suspended. And there's also something that he mentioned that people were complaining in their WhatsApp group, but he didn't say anything, no. Even if he had said something, aware in the Constitution, you know, or in their own rules that you can't complain, and if you complain, you will be suspended. Of course you can. Why can't you not complain about something? Well, it just sounded to me like, well, since I didn't say anything, you could suspend them, but what... That's how you get to it. But really, many disturbing issues that, you know, I've seen from this story, first of all, why should any police man or any security aide have fired a gun? So from the news report that I read, it said that they, you know, only fired gunshots, you know, to escort the speaker, you know, back to his car away from there. Really? Yeah, that's what it says. So a gunshot is now the basis for escorting someone out of a... Obviously wrong. Obviously wrong, you know, but, you know, that's what it says. You know, it tries to make it look... it paints a story that it's not gunshots, you know, at any of the lawmakers or to hurt anyone. You know, it's really just to scare people away. In some places, you're not even allowed to honk your horn because it's noise, it's public disturbance. Talk less of firing a gun just to make way. I mean, you've caught panic. Obviously, it's made the story bigger and the mere suspension of, you know, these lawmakers. Yes, it is. But let's see how it goes, you know, and I'm really just reacting from, you know, this conversation and some of the things that he's saying, you know, the governor is a father to all and some of all of that, you know, and so they will have to find ways to reach out to the governor and hear what he says and, you know, see if he can be really maybe reinstalled as a chief whip of the house or some other things like that. And we do need to get legal experts to read on this because we need to find out does the speaker have the power to actually suspend any member of the house, especially when he mentioned that against, you know, this is basically against their rules. He mentioned one article 10 and about the ethics and privileges and how you should have been summoned. Exactly. There should have been fair hearing. You should, your side of the story should have been, you know, sought, you know, rather than just you being suspended or sacked or whatever. So there's just lots of issues there that seems, you know, that's begging for attention. It really seems unparliamentary of the speaker to even do such. And you say those people are guilty of unparliamentary conduct is now speaking to a governor on parliamentary. I mean, shouldn't we all be talking about, you know, oneness, unity in the state? So we really need to get to the bottom of this matter. But I think I think everyone is aware of the issues between the former governor, Ruchesco Ruches, and the current governor who was at the Madaev had, you know, the escobots for a very long time. That shouldn't be a basis of anyone getting sacked. But, you know, it's politics, you know. And so it's expected that, you know, you would have to express where your loyalty is lied. Do you lie with, you know, whoever is in power or you lie with the, you know, person that he's not very fond of? Loyalty is lied to your constituents and the people you represent. Politically, there's always those expectations. It's not enough to suspend anybody. It's not enough to punish anyone. Because, yes, like you've said, your loyalties and your legions, you should be to the people who have nominated you and voted for you to be in that position. But, you know, you know, on the other side, there's also, you know, politics, which people want to be, you know, to feel safe with the people around them. They want to know that, oh, you are loyal to me, which happens. And it's only in Nigeria that a person who gets suspended because he's friends with someone who is not, you know, friends with the governor or friends with the speaker and some of what that means. I thought that's added in primary school. Well, it still happens here. It is just, you know, it's a picture of what, you know, it feels like. And it feels like, oh, being in the APC, you remember when the Lagos Central Representative Senator Ramitinibu was asking, you know, the other tentative, the smarter they may believe, if you are a traitor, are you with the PDP? I don't remember what the city was making. Are you a wolf in sheep's clothing? Exactly. She knows. So keep quiet as long as, you know, you're not talking about us in a positive light. And so that's exactly what it is. It really is illogical. There's those expectations that you will, you know, have allegiances or you have alliances here and there with whoever it is as a position of power. And, you know, this also really just shows that a lot of these people who are in the Houses of Assembly aren't there necessarily because of the people who aren't there necessarily because the people voted them there. They're there because somehow, some ways, some Polish Google Godfather put them in there. And so they have to remain loyal to whoever it is that let them be, you know, hold that position. And that's where some of all these things will come from. They will take sides. They will, it's a sad, sad, sad picture. See, every hope, maybe the governor, maybe the long arm of the law just intervenes because I fear for the president that this is setting that, you know, every other lawmaker in Nigeria is looking at emo states right now and seeing how they're going to handle this matter. And if they just take this line down, it just means that any other speaker, you know, can't sack or suspend anybody who doesn't dance to your tune. So justice should prevail in this situation and not just... I don't think this would be... Based on alliances and loyalties. I don't think this particular case would be set in precedence. I think for, since 1999, we've had cases like this, very many of them in different states across the country. We've had it in a those state. We've had it in our June state. We've had it in many, many places where people are suspended. We've had, you know, where the maze is stolen. We've had where there are fights, physical fights in the state House of Assembly. So it's not the first time. You know, this is just a picture of what our politics is like. The only reason why this one may have looked a little bad is because there were gunshots fired in the video that we saw. But it's not the first time that people have been suspended for, you know, reasons that nobody can explain. It's also not the first time that, you know, people would, you know, come together and, you know, they're not even up to the number that you would expect that we'll be able to impeach a speaker. And they will impeach a speaker. And, you know, like this executive session that they said held, but others are saying they didn't hold. Exactly. It's not. So this aren't, this isn't a new or strange thing in Nigerian politics, both at the federal level and at the state level. You know, it happens everywhere. It tells or paints a picture of what our politics truly is like and how, you know, we allow some level of unlawfulness enter into the state House of Assembly. Mr. Jiddah Johnson said it all. We have a situation where lawmakers seem to be law breakers and what really is our hope that they can make laws in our favor as the people. Not the best two-author agreement. The six or the many five. Let's see how that turns out. Stay with us. So we have more of these conversations coming your way. Loretta on our chair and her screening is what we're going to be talking about next year on Plus TV Africa.