The House of Representatives was thrown into frenzy as federal lawmakers mitigated a near-fisticuff between the Majority Leader of the House, Mulikat Akande-Adeola (PDP, Oyo) and Hon. Irona Alphonsus Gerald (PDP, Imo).
The bone of contention, it was gathered, may not have been unconnected with an allegation that President Jonathan offered money to aggrieved PDP lawmakers in order to persuade those who lost out at the primaries to remain in the party.
The President was said to have met, selectively, with PDP Caucus in the House last Sunday following the gale of defections by PDP lawmakers to the opposition parties.
Hon. Irona, otherwise quiet and reserved, on Tuesday lost his cool as he stormed towards the seat of the Adeola-Akande on the front row and engaged her in a verbal exchange all the while pointing an accusing finger at her.
Irona spurned his colleagues as he threatened to embarrass the House Leader if she didn’t desist from ‘defrauding’ the lawmakers.
” I don’t like it. This is not the first time you have done that to me. Stop it or I will embarrass you,” he warned.
The confrontation spurred the Deputy Leader of the House, Hon. Leo Ogor (PDP, Delta), who is traditionally seated beside Adeola-Akande to leave his seat, grab and push Irona away from his boss.
All the while, the Leader remained glued to her seat, too petrified to respond to the verbal attack from Hon. Gerald.