Members of Nigeria’s House of Representatives were on Monday split along party lines as they began deliberations over the 11 May increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit, also referred to as Petrol.

Members were called for an emergency session to listen to Minister of State For Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu.

However, plenary degenerated into a rowdy session, as lawmakers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) refused to allow Kachikwu to be admitted into the chamber.

The Minister was invited to brief lawmakers on the situation in the petroleum sector.

But the PDP lawmakers waved the National flag, singing protest songs and were hell bent on not allowing the Minister entry into the Representatives’ chamber.

Dr. Kachikwu on May 11 announced a new price band of N145 per litre of petrol, linking the hike to the difficulty in getting foreign exchange and the inability of the nation’s refineries to produce at optimum capacity to cushion scarcity that has lasted for over five months.

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