Nasarawa lawmakers trade punches over sole administrators

It was free for all fight at the Nasarawa State House of Assembly yesterday, over the appointment of 11 local government council sole administrators by Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura.
The fracas happened during plenary that saw the honourable members exchanging blows and destroying seats and other valuables in the chambers.
The fight was between those for and those against the decision of Governor Al-Makura to appoint sole administrators, instead of transition committee chairmen for the councils.
It was gathered that the governor had allegedly ‘influenced’ some of the legislators in order to have his way, a development that was resisted by others.
Yesterday’s sitting at the assembly was abruptly terminated, prompting the deployment of operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS).
Six members of the assembly, who were said to be against the appointment of sole administrators for the councils, were invited  by the DSS operatives while  the remaining 18 legislators, led by the deputy speaker, Godiya Akwashiki, reconvened at about 5pm where they unanimously suspended  those taken away. ‬
The suspended members include Kassim M. Kassim (APC, Akwanga South), Abubakar Obere Kana (APC, Kokona West), Makpa Malla (APC, Wamba), Mohammed Okpoku (APC Udega/Loko), Musa Ali (APC, Keffi East) and Murtala Sodangi (APC, Nasarawa Central).‬
Speaking to newsmen shortly after the incident, the chairman, House Committee on Information, Makpa Malla, who confirmed the fracas, described the appointment of sole administrators by Al-Makura as illegal.
He said that the house will not fold its arms while the governor perpetrated illegality in a democratic environment.
 “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Section 7 Sub section 1, as amended, guarantees for a democratically elected system of local government, its structure and  how it should be run. That is why we are kicking against the appointment of sole administrators which only existed in the military era,” he said.
 In the midst of the protest at the assembly, Governor Al-Makura yesterday went ahead and swore in the 11 new sole administrators to oversee the affairs of the councils.