Impeachment Of Plateau Assembly Speaker Wasn’t Done In Line With Laid Down Rule, Conference Of Speakers Urge Governors Forum To Intervene

The Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria urged Nigeria Governors Forum to intervene in the leadership crisis that rock the Plateau State House of Assembly.

 

Chairman of the Conference and Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Abubakar Y Suleiman, who led other Speakers from Ogun, Ebonyi and Ekiti, made the plea during a crucial meeting between the leadership of the Speakers’ Conference and the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and Governor of Ekiti State His Excellency Fayemi Kayode which took place at the Governors Forum’s Secretariat in Abuja, today.

 

The Speakers expressed deep concern over the Plateau State House of Assembly fracas in which two factions emerged with two different Speakers that led to the siege of the Assembly by the security operatives.

 

According to them, S.92(2c) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, has unambiguously stated the process of election and impeachment of Speakers. And based on the available reports at their disposal, the impeachment wasn’t in accordance with the laid rules of the Assembly.

 

The Speakers therefore urged for the quick intervention of the Governors so that all parties involved in the crisis will sheath their sword and respect the Constitution.

 

The Speakers who reiterated the sanctity of the legislative arm and the setback the crisis will bring to governance in Plateau State, expressed their confidence that the Governors Forum and the Executive Governor of Plateau State Rt. Hon. Simon Lalong, a lawyer who was a former Speaker of the Assembly, will quickly intervene on the matter so that normalcy will return in the Assembly.

 

In his response the Chairman of the Governors Forum and Governor of Ekiti State Fayemi Kayode commended the Conference for their commitment to find solution to the crisis that rocked the Plateau Assembly.

 

He stated that the the Forum is closely monitoring the situation and has requested the Chairman of the North Central Governors Forum and Governor of Niger State Abubakar Sani Bello to travel to Jos and meet the Governor of Plateau and all the parties involved with a view to ending the fracas.