Two speakers have emerged out of the leadership crisis of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly on Tuesday.
They include the immediate past speaker, Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi and Mr Daniel Ogah Ogazi representing Kokona East constituency.
While Hon Abdullahi was elected at a sitting which took place at the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ogazi emerged as speaker from the proceedings at the Assembly complex.
Fillers from Mr Abdullahi indicated that the member representing Nasarawa Eggon East constituency, Hon Jecob Kudu was elected deputy speaker.
Abdullahi was nominated by Hon Muhammed Adamu Omadefu, Keana constituency and seconded by Hon Danladi Jatau of Kokona West.
The oath of office was administered to him by the acting clerk of the House, Mr Ibrahim Musa.
After his inauguration, Abdullahi was received by Governor Abdullahi Sule and his deputy, Emmanuel Akanbe at the Government House in Lafia.
LEADERSHIP could not immediately establish who inaugurated the Ogazi’s camp and the process leading to his emergence. But clad in his speaker’s rob after the exercise, he told newsmen that the process was transparent and followed the established protocol.
“We were duly elected at the Assembly with the official legislative insignia which is the mace. All the processes and procedures were followed to the letter,” he explained.
He commended Governor Sule for putting the machinery in motion for the exercise to take place.
Governor Sule same Tuesday, had directed the suspension of the inauguration of the 7th Assembly indefinitely over security concerns.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the first session of the 7th Assembly was slated for inauguration following the dissolution of the 6th Assembly last week.
However, before its eventual dissolution, three returning members including the speaker, Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi had indicated interest to lead the 7th Assembly.
Others included Mr Daniel Ogah Ogazi representing Kokona East; Danladi Jatau, representing Kokona West.
Among them, Abdullahi has the backing of Governor Sule, but majority of the lawmakers, especially the newly elected, were in support of Ogazi’s candidature.
An Assembly source had alerted LEADERSHIP at about 4:00am yesterday that some persons believed to be lawmakers were trying to gain access to the premises.
The source called at about 20 minutes later that the affected persons had driven off on sighting a bus conveying lawmakers loyal to Ogazi who were believed to have gotten wind of the development and mobilized to scuttle the plan.
LEADERSHIP saw the 13 members-elect including Ogazi in a Hiace golden colour bus at the gate of the Assembly at about 5:00am.
There were also Toyota Hilux buses with the military and three Toyota Hilux unmarked buses loaded with policemen also on ground.
About 15 minutes later two Hilux vans loaded with men and officers of the Department of State Service (DSS) also arrived at the scene. They barricaded the entrance to the main gate to the Assembly complex.
A new member-elect from the Ogazi camp said they were aware of plans to inaugurate members-elect close to Abdullahi who would in turn return him as speaker in the wee hours of the day.
“That’s why we also acted promptly to scuttle whatever plans they conceived by mobilising ourselves here as early as we can.
“And if we didn’t act the way we did, they would have their way because when they sighted our bus, they left,” he alleged.
According to him, the Ogazi’s camp are in the majority, noting, “we will defeat them if it comes to voting on the floor of the Assembly.”
But a source from Balarabe Abdullahi ‘s camp debunked the position, saying as someone who has piloted the affairs of the Assembly and made laws for the people of the state, he cannot be seen to be breaching the law.
“The Assembly has an established protocol and there was a tentative time set for the inauguration, so we couldn’t have been in the Assembly by 4:00am,” he explained.
He said the Ogazi’s camp has not really told the truth as to why they were at the Assembly at such an ungodly hour.
As the development was going on, the statement suspending the inauguration of the Assembly, signed by the Acting Clerk, Nasarawa State House of Assembly Ibrahim Musa began to circulate.
The statement reads: “I wish to inform all 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 Enger. 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.”
But the Ogazi’s camp held their ground insisting that they will not leave, saying the statement may be a ploy to make them exit thereby paving the way for the camp to come into the Assembly and carry out the exercise.
