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Members of House of Representatives elected on the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) platform on Tuesday staged a walkout over the refusal of the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, to grant their prayer on the Federal Government’s Twitter Ban.
Gbajabiamila had earlier asked relevant committees of the House to investigate the matter within 10 days.
Leader of the PDP caucus, Kingsley Chinda, raised a point of order to make an additional contribution that the House asks the Federal Government to lift the ban pending the time the House will finish its investigation on the matter.
Chinda noted that the implication is that the ban would remain for 10 days, which means the rights of Nigerians would be kept in abeyance during the period.
Gbajabiamila, however, cited part of the Standing Orders of the House stating that a matter that had been concluded by the parliament cannot be revisited for a debate.
The Speaker, therefore, ruled Chinda out of order, a decision that did not go down well with members of the opposition.
Chinda insisted on speaking while several leaders of the House shut him down. He, thereafter, led other PDP members out of the chamber.
The PDP members later addressed journalists,saying the action was in defence of Nigerians.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has summoned Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed to come.and brief members on the “objectives, intent, and duration of the suspension on the operations of Twitter in Nigeria.”
The House mandated its committees on communication, justice, information and culture, and national security and intelligence to immediately commence an investigation into the suspension of the microblogging site.
During plenary Gbajabiamila, said the green chamber has been “inundated with comments about the decision, requests for intervention and criticism.”
“The House of Representatives recognises that Twitter, like other social media networks, is an important tool for communication and commerce in Nigeria, particularly amongst the younger generation who have used these networks for enterprise and innovation with great success,” he said.