PLHA main gate, sealed!
Plateau Assembly remains shut as AIG’s crisis resolution meeting ends in stalemate
The police have said that the premises of the Plateau State House of Assembly would remain shut until the two feuding factions of the Assembly sheath their swords and normalcy returns.
Mustapha Dandaura, the Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, in charge of Zone Four, comprising Plateau, Benue and Nasarawa State commands, made this known on Friday in Jos following a meeting held with the two factions of warring lawmakers at his instance which ended in a deadlock.
“This is the first time we are meeting since that problem started and we are happy all the warring factions have expressed their own opinion and we have told them that this should not be the end of this meeting they should go back to their various locations to convene another meeting.
“The Police is willing to re-open the assembly if and only when the two sides present a workable solution to the present stalemate.
“The lawmakers should therefore quickly resolve their differences so that legislative business can resume at the house.
“As a professional law enforcement agency, the police will remain apolitical and neutral in handling the crisis,” Dandaura stressed.
The “impeached” Speaker, Abok Ayuba and eleven other lawmakers who are loyal to him were the first to arrive the Police officers mess, Jos venue of the meeting at about 3:15pm before the newly posted Commissioner of Police, CP Bartholomew Onyeka joined them.
The “new” Speaker Yakubu Sanda and eleven other lawmakers loyal to him came in less than half an hour later before the AIG arrived.
Journalists were asked to leave the hall prior to the commencement of the meeting which ended about an hour later after which the parties involved took turns to brief awaiting journalists.
Abok who spoke first commended the AIG for calling the meeting but expressed dismay over the deadlock in the meeting, adding that his colleagues were open to a peaceful resolution of the impasse.
“Due process was not followed in the so-called impeachment and all we are saying is that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should be respected.
“All my security details have been withdrawn and they have provided security to the illegal speaker, I don’t have security now, so I’m going into hiding,” Abok who is also a lawyer said.
On his part, Sanda said that he was excited to see his colleagues again and stressed that no meaningful development can take place without peace.
“I am the legitimate Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly and I’m extending an olive branch to the six members that we earlier suspended, and if they feel remorse about their actions we are ready to welcome them back,”he said.
Periscope International recalls that the Assembly erupted in a ding-dong leadership claim on Thursday Oct. 28, when eight out of the 24 lawmakers allegedly sneaked into the Assembly complex at dawn and purportedly impeached Abok and replaced him with Sanda.