Cyril Hart, a member of the House of Representatives representing Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency in Rivers State, walked out of the green chamber during plenary on Tuesday.
Hart accused the Deputy Speaker of discriminating against new members during parliamentary debates.
The incident occurred shortly after the representative for Damboa/Gwoza/Chibok Federal Constituency in Borno State moved a motion condemning recent suicide bombings in the North-Eastern state.
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The motion sparked debates from numerous lawmakers, including the Chairman of the House Committee on Navy, Idris Wase, and the Chairman of the Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson.
These contributions were mostly from ranking members who were recognized by the Deputy Speaker, Kalu, presiding in the absence of Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
Hart raised a point of order just as Kalu was about to put the motion to a vote. “You do not give preference to first-timers. You don’t,” Hart expressed, receiving applause from his colleagues.
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He added, “Virtually all those who spoke are ranking members. This is what you always do. You need to allow first-timers to make their contributions.”
Kalu responded by denying any discrimination, noting that he had also been a first-timer. He explained that lawmakers are recognized based on their sitting arrangement and may be overlooked if not seated in the designated row. Unconvinced, Hart walked out of the chamber, voicing his frustration on his way out.
