Plateau Crisis: Political leaders caution assembly speaker over activities

The Speaker, Plateau State House of Assembly, Abok Nuhu Ayuba, has been cautioned by some political and community leaders following the recent crisis in parts of the state.

The leaders, who met on Saturday in Jos – the Plateau State capital, said they were concerned about the politicization of the crisis in the state, saying that it was pertinent to join hands together to find a lasting solution.

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Speaking on the resolution of the meeting, the convener, Saleh Mandung Zazzaga, said the speaker had been engaging in activities that are causing division between the legislative and executive arms of government.

He said the speaker’s activities were also causing division among the ethnics and religious groups in the state.

Zazzaga, who is also a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state, said they were meeting at the party level to discuss the situation and the divisive activities of the speaker.

He however added that the meeting which held on Saturday extended beyond the party to include community leaders/elders who are peace-loving and seeking to pursue peaceful coexistence and tranquillity in the state.

Zazzaga said the activities of the speaker and that of the House in response to the situation on the ground was not in the interest of the people, stressing that they were polarizing the state and causing more division among the people.

According to him, the speaker should have rather get closer to the governor/executive so that they can have a common ground and find a united solution to the crisis.

He said: “Worse still, the speaker has stopped attending many government and party functions, and this shows that the speaker has distanced himself from the government which himself is a part of.

“In this case of sharp division in the arms of government, engineered by the speaker, how can the government have a common force to address the problem at hand?”

It would be recalled that the APC bigwigs recently asked the speaker to come forth and explain to the party the reason for his recent actions or be sanctioned.

Before then, the party chieftains gave the speaker an ultimatum to tender a public apology to the people of the state as well as the government over what they termed his divisive activities and unhelpful utterances in the wake of the crisis that rocked parts of the state.