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Plateau assembly: Sanda, Abok’s camps set for truce

Why we opted for peace – Impeached speaker’s faction   Barely a month after the political crisis that rocked the Plateau State House of Assembly…

  • Why we opted for peace – Impeached speaker’s faction

 

Barely a month after the political crisis that rocked the Plateau State House of Assembly leading to the impeachment of the speaker and creation of two camps, a peaceful air seems to be permeating the parliament, our correspondent reports.

Following the impeachment of Ayuba Nuhu Abok on October 28, the parliament was polarised into two factions, with some of the lawmakers aligning with new speaker, Yakubu Sanda, while others stayed with Abok.

Daily Trust reports that the development raised dust in Plateau State’s political terrain and reverberated across the country, with pro-democracy activists decrying the situation.

For weeks, there was a supremacy battle between the factions, leading to the closure of the assembly complex by the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Zone 4, Mr Mustapha Dandaura, who was in Jos to reconcile the lawmakers.

The new leadership under Sanda was immediately recognised by the state government and elaborate security personnel attached to him, as well as approval of official vehicles.

The impeached speaker, however, continued to claim the leadership of the house and cried out about the withdrawal of his security personnel and official vehicles.

How new speaker dwarfed Abok  

To prove his leadership position as the Speaker, Sanda on October 15, called for a session in the chamber of the house under a tight security.

During the session, the house resolved to relocate legislative sessions to the Old Government House due to the destruction of the chamber by hoodlums in the wake of the crisis.

Under the leadership of Sanda, the house has observed three legislative sessions. The first session deliberated on the list of nominees forwarded to it by Governor Simon Lalong for screening and confirmation as chairman and six other members of the State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC).

During the second session, the house confirmed the nomination of the chairman and members of the commission, and in the third, the house deliberated on the 2022 appropriation bill and committed it to committee level for appropriate discussion.

However, after the budget deliberation, a letter of resignation said to have been written by the impeached speaker was read by Sanda. Several calls and SMS to Abok by our correspondent on the authenticity of the letter were not responded.

In the three legislative sessions led by Sanda, none of the members loyal to the impeached speaker was present, even though six of them were earlier suspended by the new speaker.

Abok’s loyalists are Henry Longs (Pankshin South), Dangtong Timothy (Riyom), Musa Agah (Rukuba/Iregwe), Bala Fwanje (Mangu South) and Nambol Listic (Langtang North).

Sanda said their suspension was connected to “an illegal sitting in an events hall in Zawan and the breaking into the hallowed chambers of the parliament on November 1, to further denigrate the house. The house must continue to adopt firm measures to forestall such weird development.”

Different claims were put to the public by the two camps, with each claiming to have the majority of members. The camp loyal to the Sanda claimed that 16 out of the 24 members signed the impeachment of the former speaker, while the camp loyal to Abok claimed that those who signed the impeachment letter were not up to the 2/3 majority of the members, saying they were eight.

Naanlong Daniel, the majority leader of the house, had severally said the list of those in support of Abok’s impeachment was with the Clerk of the house, Ponven Wuyep. Mr Wuyep confirmed that the list was with him, but that he would not disclose it to the public, explaining that it would only be released to a court of law on request.

Sealing, unsealing of assembly

When the crisis became sour and tension heightened, the AIG Dandaura directed that the house should remain sealed until all issues were resolved.

One week after the AIG’s directive, the assembly was unsealed, which paved way for the Sanda camp to go into the chamber for deliberations.

Asking why the house was unsealed despite the AIG’s directive, Hon Naanlong Daniel said it was unsealed following an appealed by the new speaker considering that there were matters of public importance that needed urgent legislative input.

He said, “Ordinarily, the AIG cannot come and seal an arm of government just like that. It was a move to maintain law and order and that was why the police had to step in. Before the opening of the house, the speaker, who is the chief of that arm of government, in a press conference, appealed to the AIG to allow us have deliberations of urgent public importance which have direct benefits to our people. It was on that note that we had to make an appeal to his excellency to find another facility for us to be deliberating in.”

Hon Daniel who is loyal to the leadership of the new speaker told Daily Trust that that though the suspension of the six members stood, effort was on to reconcile the two camps.

He said, “The PDP, through the minority leader of the house, is reaching out to us. We met and discussed elaborately. We are supposed to attend the screening of the commissioners with them, but they apologised because they had party functions where they had to attend some crucial matters.

“We told them that we will reach out to other members to discuss their requests so that together we can take decisions on whether or not to relieve the suspension of the six members, and those who are not suspended should come for the sitting.

“As of this point, 80 per cent of the problem has been dealt with. They have accepted to work with the new speaker. I believe there would be no much problem ahead of us.”

Why we’ve opted for peace –Impeached speaker’s camp

 In  their response to the development, lawmakers who were against the impeachment of Abok told Daily Trust that for the benefit of peace and in the interest of development for the people of the state, all disagreements between the two camps had almost been resolved.

Hon Timothy Dangton, of Abok’s camp, said, “We that have been with Abok are people who have the interest of the state at heart, and we will do everything to ensure that we have a peaceful environment and a proper democracy in place.

“We have engaged ourselves in a reconciliatory discussion aiming at reaching the understanding that would bring better democratic structure. We are not in any way trying to copy the wrong thing they are doing. They have gone ahead with the sitting and we feel that it would not be good for the state to have Houses of Assembly sitting. So, we have engaged our stakeholders in all that matters in trying to bring reconciliation on all the matters. And I want to assure you that we are in headway to get there.

“I call on the people of the state to always stand with the truth just like they have stood with us and to ensure that the right thing is done.”

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