…accuses State govt of causing disunity among people

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

A member representing Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency of Plateau State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Dachung Musa Bagos has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently intervene in the crisis currently rocking the State House of Assembly to save democracy.

The member also appealed to the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, and the Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila to all rise in defence of the Constitution.

It will be recalled that 6 out of 24 members of the Assembly recently impeached the Speaker, Hon. Ayuba Abok and elected in his place, Yakubu Sanda.

The aftermath of the development has been a string of protests by the youths of the state and chaos within and around the assembly complex which has led to the arrest of some individuals.

Reacting to the impeachment, Tuesday, Bagos in a press conference at the National Assembly declared the exercise illegal, submitting that in the eye of the law, 6 members do not constitute the two-third majority of the 24 members, a number required to impeach the Speaker.

Bagos who described the impeachment as a kangaroo coup added that the law can’t be turned upside down to serve selfish interests.

He said that until a recourse was given to the law, Plateau people would continue to recognize Abok as the Speaker of the State Assembly.

The lawmaker, therefore, called on the President and all lovers of democracy to rise in defence of the Constitution.

READ ALSO: Plateau Assembly Crisis: Sanda, suspends six members, sets committee to investigate Ayuba

He said: “One of the major reasons for my address is that you are the defenders of democracy, knowing the fact that issues Nigerians don’t have information about, you will be able to give them the fact of what is truly happening around us. And as a representative of the people from Plateau State, representing Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency and on a very important issue that affects my constituent who is the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon. Ayuba Abok. He has been the legitimate Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly since 2019.

“He now has become a scapegoat because he’s standing with the people as a result of the killings and the state of insecurity in the State, saying it as it is, giving information of the true situation of what has been happening on the Plateau and trying to proffer a solution as the Speaker and other members from the House of Assembly.

“It is quite unfortunate that some days back, a kangaroo coup was carried out in the State House of Assembly that 6 members allegedly impeached the Speaker.

“And one has to be concerned not just that he’s my constituent but as a defender of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where section 92 subsection 2 clearly stated that a Speaker of a State House of Assembly can only be impeached by a two third of the members.

“In Plateau State, we have 24 members in the House of Assembly elected and serving. That 6 members will sit down and carry out a coup in the name of impeachment is clearly against the Constitution.

“Six members cannot in any way be two-third of 24. And today, the government that is for the government, not for the people has its own Speaker by 6 members while the people of Plateau have a legitimate speaker that they know standing for them in the person of Rt. Hon. Ayuba Abok.

“He remains the legitimate Speaker that the Plateau people know. It is not about party politics. I am PDP and he’s APC. It’s about defending the Constitution of Nigeria. It’s about doing the right. It’s about the people. But it’s unfortunate that the government has turned it a party thing; that because we are in the PDP and talking against the illegality the government of Plateau State has carried out; that the Speaker wants to go back to the PDP that’s why we are talking. No. We are speaking because the Constitution has been murdered.

“And I want to use this opportunity to call on my colleagues to stand for what is right; to call on the Speaker of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Senate President, the President of the Federal Republic to look into this issue immediately before democracy is murdered on the Plateau.”

Bagos further explained that impeaching Abok or any other person was not a problem but the flagrant flouting of due process.

He said that the people will not condone the impeachment even as he accused the government of causing disunity amongst the people.

“I don’t a problem is Abok is removed as a Speaker the right way. If two third members will sit down in the House and impeach him legitimately, legally as it is in the Constitution, we don’t have a problem. But when 6 people out of 24 will sit down to carry out an illegal impeachment, then we have a problem because we need to defend the Constitution.

“We need to ensure that the future of democracy in Nigeria is protected. We are struggling to maintain peace on the Plateau but unfortunately, a government that is to make sure that all its actions are legitimate, that peace is maintained is bringing high level of disunity, separating the Plateau people because of selfish interest.

“We will not sit down and allow illegality to take place. We will not sit down and allow selfishness to override the interest of the Plateau people. We stand for what is right and we will continue to recognize Hon. Abok as the legitimate speaker until two-third members of the State House of Assembly impeaches him. We will be Ok with that but as long as 6 members will sit down to impeach a Speaker, then, that is the murderer of the Constitution. I want to call on Nigerians, the youths to stand for what is right. We will not allow illegality again to happen because we must protect the future of democracy in Nigeria”, Bagos said.

Vanguard News Nigeria