Plateau Assembly Leadership Crisis Festers

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

Reconciliation meeting to end the Plateau Assembly leadership crisis called yesterday evening by the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) in charge of Zone 4, Mustapha Dandaura, ended in a stalemate.

The embattled Speaker of the Assembly, Abok Ayuba and 11 other lawmakers were the first to arrive at the Police Officers Mess, Jos, venue of the meeting at about 3:15p.m.

The state Commissioner of Police, CP Bartholomew Onyeka, came in thereafter before the new Speaker Yakubu Sanda and 11 other lawmakers arrived about 20 minutes later, before the AIG arrived to start the meeting.

Journalists were ordered out of the hall.

After the meeting, the embattled Speaker who commended the AIG for calling the meeting, however, said nothing had changed.

He said, “From all indications due process was not followed in my removal; all we are saying is that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should be respected.”

He disclosed that all his security details had been withdrawn and that security has now been provided to the illegal Speaker.

“So I don’t have security now so I’m going into hiding.”

But the new Speaker, Sanda, on his part said he was excited to see his colleagues again, insisting that “there is no meaningful development that can take place without peace.”

Sanda said he was the legitimate Speaker of the House and extended an olive branch to the suspended members that were suspended, adding that “if they feel remorse about their actions, we are ready to welcome them back.”

AIG Dandaura said the House of Assembly would remain sealed until the lawmakers are able to iron out their differences.

He said, “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 AIG revealed that the police was willing to re-open the Assembly if and only when the two sides present a workable solution to the present stalemate.

He advised the lawmakers to quickly resolve their differences so that legislative business can resume at the House.

He assured the lawmakers that as a professional law enforcement agency, they would remain apolitical and neutral in handling the crisis.