Adedayo Akinwale and Udora Orizu in Abuja
Members of the House of Representatives from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday in the absence of their opposition counterparts, passed the controversial three per cent equity shares for the oil producing communities in the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).
Recall that lawmakers from the Niger Delta region protested the percentage, insisting on five per cent for host communities, which led to its postponement on Thursday.
At the yesterday special session, the APC lawmakers suddenly moved the motion after the opposition lawmakers staged a walkout to brief the press on their disagreement with the non-inclusion of the electronic transmission of election results in the electoral amendment bill. Speaking on the issue before the report was laid by the Committee Chairman, the Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila who explained that the House had suspended the laying of the report; so that the chairman of the PIB ad-hoc committee could go back and meet the Senate committee and let them review the position on the three per cent equity, regrets that by the time they got to the Senate, the committee had already made a decision and nothing else could have been done.