Lafia – The Nasarawa State House of Assembly on Tuesday suspended six of its members indefinitely over alleged misconduct during the proceedings of the house on Monday.
Deputy Speaker of the assembly, Mr Godiya Akwashiki (PDP-Nassarawa Eggon West), who presided at the sitting, announced the suspension of the members. Akwashiki said, “13 lawmakers and me have voted in support of a motion moved for the suspension of the six lawmakers who misbehaved during our sitting on Monday.
“They are Kassim Mohammed-Kassim (APC-Akwanga South), Murtala Sodangi(APC-Nasarawa Central), Mohammed Okpoku (APC-Udege/ Loko, Musa Ali(APC-Keffi East), Makpa Malla (APC-Wamba) and Abubakar Kana (APC-Kokona West). “These lawmakers are suspended from the house indefinitely without salary and allowances over their misconduct,” he announced.
Majority Leader of the house, Mr Tanko Tunga (APC-Awe North), had moved a motion for the suspension of the six lawmakers over misconduct and for corruption allegations they levelled against members of the house. Tunga said that the suspended lawmakers had alleged that the executive arm of government bribed some members of the house to support the appointment of sole administrators for 11 local government areas by Gov. Tanko Al-Makura.
“The action of the six members had caused a confusion which resulted into chaos among members and it is in view of this that I want to move a motion for their suspension so as to serve as deterrent to other lawmakers,’’ he said.
Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim-Alkali (PDP-Lafia North), Minority Leader of the house, seconded the motion.
Reacting to their suspension, Malla (APC-Wamba), who is Chairman, House Committee on Information, on behalf of the suspended lawmakers, described the action as “a rape of democracy’’. “This is ridiculous; they have no basis of doing that because it is an assault on the rule of law.
“How will they suspend us because we said that the right thing must be done and the rule of law must follow in regard to the appointment of 11 sole administrators?
“We will seek redress; we are law-abiding lawmakers; we know the right thing to be done and we have already briefed our lawyers on the next line of action,’’ he said.
The house has constituted an ad hoc committee to be chaired by the Chairman of its Committee on Public Complaint and Petitions, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim-Alkali, to look into the matter.
