Speakership crisis: Thugs vandalise Plateau assembly complex as youths stage protest

There was chaos at the Plateau state house of assembly complex on Monday after the building was vandalised by thugs.

The thugs, suspected to be loyalists of Yakubu Sanda, the new speaker, and Abok Ayuba, the embattled speaker, clashed at the complex.

Ayuba, who was impeached on Thursday by eight lawmakers from the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the lawmakers loyal to him were holding a meeting inside the assembly’s complex when some youths staged a protest in front of the premises.

Some other persons believed to be loyal to Sanda entered the assembly complex through the back door and started breaking the doors and windows of the assembly in what appeared to be an attempt to stop the lawmakers from sitting.

Subsequently, some of those protesting in front of the complex scaled the fence and started fighting others that entered the complex through the back door.

The situation was brought under control following the intervention of security personnel.

Meanwhile, Ayuba and his supporters have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to wade into the crisis plaguing the assembly.

During the meeting on Monday, Philip Dasun, deputy majority leader, said Ayuba remains the legitimate speaker of the assembly.

He also called on Simon Lalong, the state governor, and Plateau elders to end “the impunity and the siege on the assembly by security personnel”.

“Today the 1st of November, 2021, we the 12 members are supporting Abok Ayuba, the speaker, Plateau state house of assembly, that was duly elected by constitutional provision,” Dasun said.

“As you can see, his picture is still on the wall not tampered with; his name tag is still intact; the mace is still here to tell you that there was only an attempted impeachment. Our speaker was not impeached, whatsoever.

“We are only calling for attention from the governor of this state to disregard any illegal speaker presented to him and authorise the legitimacy of the speaker unanimously voted by 24 members of this assembly.

“We are not here to fight. We are not here to cause conflict but calling on government to reinstate our speaker whom the Plateau people are well pleased with.

“We are calling on the president of Nigeria. We are here in the hallowed chamber; the chamber that is sacred to us; a chamber the president respects at the national assembly. We expect the governor to respect this chamber.

“Please, Mr President, intervene and salvage democracy in Nigeria. Gone were the days in 1999 when democracy returned. Twenty years down the line, to what extent can we condone this impunity? To what extent can we condone this legislative rascality?”