FORGERY AND OBTAINING BY TRICKS: PUNDITS CALL FOR THE PROSECUTION OF 6 SUSPENDED PLATEAU LAWMAKERS

By: Valentine Adese (JP) and Paul Naomi,

Nigerians, have started calling for the prosecution of the, Six (6) Plateau State House of Assembly Lawmakers, who staged the failed removal move on the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Ayuba Abok, yesterday.

The pundits, who claimed to have been watching the developments in the state said, the act of collecting signatures of members by tricks to remove the Speaker is a crime under the Law (419) and the Lawmakers, who perpetrated the act must be punished.

You would recall that, same yesterday, the remaining 17 members of the 24-member House of Assembly had suspended 6 of the 7 Lawmakers, who plotted the failed removal of the Speaker in a commando style, aided by security operatives.

According to the press statement which announced their suspension yesterday, 28^th October, 2021, Saleh Yipmong  Dengi (APC), Nanlong Daniel Mikang,(APC), Yakubu Sanda Pengana,APC), Mohammed Balo Quan Pan South(APC), Eric Dakogoal Quan Pan North(APC) and Baba Hassan(APC) Jos North-North, were suspended, for “gross misconduct, insubordination and legislative rascality”.

Moving the motion for the suspension of the 6 Lawmakers during plenary, the new Majority Leader of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon. Philip Dasun, also said that, “their Suspension became necessary, owing to their act of insubordination and gross misconduct for attempts to cause disunity in the house”.

The Not Too Young To Run Movement, also yesterday, condemns in its entirety the conduct of the legislators, whose actions they claimed, are capable of jeopardizing the country’s democracy and undermining youth representation in public office.

According to their press statement, “This act of legislative rascality is intolerable and highly condemnable”.

The Movement however, called on the President, Muhammadu Buhari, to direct security agencies to restore order in the House and ensure Rt. Hon Ayuba Nuhu Abok is accorded full legal and security protection, to preside over the legislative business of the House without intimidation and interference.

They also submit that, “The six legislators and their benefactors must be held to account for subverting a constituted authority and undermining the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

On their part, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the plot to remove the speaker as a coup against the people of Plateau state.

In a telephone interview with REALITY, the Publicity Secretary of the Plateau State chapter of the PDP, Hon. John Akans said, “Now the people of Plateau State have their Speaker, Rt. Hon. Abok, while Governor Lalong and the APC have theirs. We believe the peoples’ Speaker, Rt. Hon Abok, will prevail and protect the interest, freedom, lives and properties of the people of the state”.