The PDP Members of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly have vowed that there is no going back on the effort to remove the state governor, Alhaji Tanko Al-Makura.
The state legislators said they would not enter into any negotiation over the impeachment notice already served on the governor. They also said they would embark on a protest in Lafia, the state capital, on Monday (today) against the alleged interference by traditional rulers in the state in their duty.
The traditional rulers in Lafia, including the Emir of Lafia, Alhaji Mustapa Agwai, had on Thursday promised to initiate a peace move between the governor and the lawmakers.
But the Chairman of the House Committee on Information and Security, Mr. Baba Ibaku, representing Udege/Loko Constituency, in a telephone interview with Punch on Sunday, insisted that the impeachment process against the Governor is still on course.
He said: “We have started this. We cannot go back, no matter the involvement of the chairman of traditional rulers.”
He denied insinuations that the state legislators had fled from the state capital. “We are on recess, so we can choose to stay anywhere we feel like. Even if we are not on recess, there is no law that says we must stay in Lafia and the fact is that there is the need for us to go to the chamber. We will go to the chamber and come back,” he said.
The lawmaker confirmed that members of the House would stage a protest on Monday against any interference by the traditional rulers across the state. Ibaku said any intervention by the traditional rulers would prevent the lawmakers from carrying out their constitutional duty.
He said what happened in Adamawa State would happen in Nasarawa if Al-Makura failed to respond to the impeachment notice served on him within the time frame given.
Reacting to the allegation against the lawmakers that they had received N200m each as bribe to compromise their stand, another member of the Nasarawa House, Mohammed Okpede (Doma South) said, “Up to this moment that I am talking to you, I have not seen the Emir of Lafia, Isah Mustapha Agwai, and none of our members have seen the emir.” He claimed the allegation was false.
Okpede said, “We are counting the days. We started about five days ago and when the time reaches, we will respond appropriately. We have the number of days stipulated in the constitution and as soon as the time reaches, we will just go back to the chamber and direct the chief judge of the state to set up a committee of inquiry for the governor to appear. We are on recess. Everybody has the liberty to go to anywhere he feels like.”
APC leadership said they are studying the situation and would take appropriate action.
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