13 members-elect of the Nasarawa State Assembly denied access to the complex on Tuesday ahead of their inauguration
From Esther Akaa, Lafia
The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has postponed indefinitely the inauguration of the 24 members-elect for the Seventh Assembly earlier scheduled for Tuesday, 10 a.m.
A statement issued on Tuesday and signed by the Acting Clerk of the House, Ibrahim Musa, stated that the postponement was based on security advice made available to the governor of the state , Engr Abdullahi Sule.
The statement read” the Acting Clerk, Nasarawa State House of Assembly Ibrahim Musa wishes to inform all Hon. Members – elect and the General public that based on Security advice the scheduled inauguration of the first session of the 7th Assembly as directed by His Excellency the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State Engr. Abdullahi Sule is hereby postponed.
“In view of the above, a re-scheduled time will be communicated to all Hon. Members – elect and the general public.
“We regret any inconveniences this postponement may have caused.”
However, a statement issued few hours to the earlier slated time for the inauguration by the convener, Collation of Civil Society Organisations in the state, Dr Mustapha Idris, has described the announcement by the Acting Clerk of the House, Mr Ibrahim Musa, as illegal.
“The news of the postponement this morning by the state own radio station, Nasarawa Broadcasting Service ( NBS) is illegal as 13 members of the House are already at the assembly complex waiting patiently for the time of inauguration.
“Therefore all well wishers and member of the public should remind calm in solidarity for the set inauguration,” he said.
Meanwhile, The Voice reports that there is heavy security presence at the House of Assembly complex, who barricaded the entrance and prevented everyone, including the 13 members-elect from gaining access to the premises.
The 13 members-elect are believed to be supporters of one of the aspirants for the speakership position, Rt. Hon. Daniel Ogazi (APC-Kokona East).
Speaking in an interview with The Voice, Hon Ogazi described the blocking of the entrance to the Assembly complex as unfortunate and called on the government to rescind its decision to postpone the inauguration of the 7th Assembly.
Ogazi who is contesting the post of the speakership with the immediate past Speaker of the Assembly, Rt Hon. Ibrahim Abdullahi said 13 members- elect are currently at the premises of the House but were denied entrance to the chamber to be inaugurated.
” 13 of us are here to perform our legitimate constitutional responsibility to elect the speaker and the deputy speaker, unfortunately the security men blocked the gate saying it’s an order from above.
“We are waiting for the authority to come and open the gate for us because we are suppose to be inaugurated today. Any responsible person knows that the governor has only one constitutional responsibility to perform which is to issue a proclamation to the House of Assembly which the clerk will receive and once that proclamation is issued, nobody has the right to utter such proclamation.
“In this case a proclamation has been issued to the state House of Assembly and the clerk acknowledged the receipt of the proclamation and approved that our inauguration will be today so nobody on earth can utter it,” he said.
He , therefore called on Governor Abdullahi Sule to intervene in the matter and inaugurate the 7th assembly to enable lawmakers elect their speaker and deputy speaker respectively.
