Brawl averted in Senate over Ekiti election

What could have led to exchange of blows over the June 21, 2014 governorship election in Ekiti State was averted in the Senate on Thursday due to the timely intervention of the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary.
The trouble started when the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission, Senator Andy Uba (PDP Anambra South), stood up to applaud INEC for a job well done on the Ekiti State governorship election.
Uba who relied on Order 43 of the Senate Standing Order, commended the electoral body for conducting what he described as the most credible election in the country.
He said the conduct of the Ekiti State governorship election by the INEC was a departure from previous exercises in the country that were marred by irregularities, adding that there was tremendous improvement.
He also commended the people and government of Ekiti State for the peaceful conduct of the election that led to the incumbent Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, of the All Progressives Congress, losing to a former Governor of the state and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ayo Fayose.
Uba further commended the security agencies for ensuring adequate security during and after the election and urged all the relevant stakeholders that contributed to the success of the poll to carry on with the same spirit in subsequent elections.
But Senator Babafemi Ojudu, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District on the platform of the APC, while also relying on the same Order 43 of the Senate Standing Order, drew the attention of the Senate that Senator Andy Uba, who had showered praises on INEC, had his younger brother, Chief Chris Uba, as one of those who led the police to cause havoc during the exercise in the state.
Ojudu said: “My colleague (Andy Uba) had already read Order 43.
“I don’t need to repeat it.
“I will like to commend the governor-elect of Ekiti State and my governor for accepting the result of the election.
“But I want to say here Mr. President that my colleague who stood here to talk, his younger brother, Chris Uba, led police to the hotel and smashed all the doors of the hotel….”
Ojudu was, however, disrupted by the PDP senators who shouted at him to sit down.
Senators Philip Aduda, representing the Federal Capital Territory, and Senator Smart Adeyemi, representing Kogi West, both of the PDP were among the senators that moved against Senator Ojudu.
But as temper rose among the senators during the rowdy session, which lasted for about five minutes, Ekweremadu calmed them down by first allowing Ojudu to read Order 43 upon which he raised his point of order to counter Andy Uba and later ruled him out of order on the grounds that the Order 43 Ojudu read prohibits discussion of any controversial issue on the floor of the Senate.
Earlier before ruling Senator Ojudu out of order, Ekweremadu commended INEC for what he described as a “job well done” in Ekiti State and implored the commission to do better in the forthcoming 2015 general elections.