Plateau Assembly relocates legislative business to Govt House

The Plateau State House of Assembly under the leadership of the new Speaker, Yakubu Sanda, sat on Friday and relocated the assembly’s subsequent sittings to the old Government House, Jos.

The assembly has been enmeshed in leadership crises following the impeachment of its Speaker, Abok Ayuba, which was viewed by some members of the house as unconstitutional.

The legislature’s complex was consequently sealed by security agencies after series of protests by two groups with one supporting the new speaker, and the other, backing the impeached speaker.

But the Sanda-led lawmakers were able to sit for the first time after the assembly was sealed.

The motion to temporary relocate to the old government house was moved by Mr. Daniel Naanlong, Majority Leader, and was seconded by the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Saleh Yipmong.

“Mr Speaker, as you can see our hallowed chamber has been desecrated and therefore not habitable for us to conduct our legislative business.

“Therefore, the old government house legislative chamber should be annexed and used by the assembly for the time being,” he said.

During the proceedings, the speaker said that the assembly was a different arm or government but was not a distinct government.

He said that they would be sitting in the old government house for the next one or two months pending when the damages caused by hoodlums who invaded chamber were fixed.

The speaker also said during plenary that he was in receipt of a communication from Governor Simon Lalong.

The governor in the letter as read by the speaker said the tenure of Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) executive members would expire on November 15, 2021.

He said that the reappointment of the commission’s members was in line with Section 4 (5) of the law establishing the commission.

According to him, the request became necessary as the commission had just concluded local government elections and that the experience of the members was needed to handle the legal issues that followed.

The house resolved that the day was not conducive to deliberate on the governor’s request.

They also resolved to consider the 2022 budget presented by the governor on another date.