BY CHAMBERLAIN ODEY, JOS –
The Commissioner of Police for Plateau State, CP Edward Egbuka, on Monday whisked away the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Abok Ayuba and ten other members of the House in an operation that is not unconnected with the leadership crisis in the State.
The arrest if believed to have been induced by Governor Simon Bako Lalong, who has been at logger head with the Speaker over the deteriorating insecurity situation in the state.
The lawmakers who were driven out of the Assembly complex in a convoy of security vehicles belonging to the Nigeria Police, Civil Defence, and the state-owned Operation Rainbow, and numbering eight in all had fully armed security personnel.
The development ended a tension soaked day around the House of Assembly complex which was besieged by menacing youths drumming support for Speaker Abok Ayuba, who had thronged out as early as 6:00am.
The State Police Commissioner, Edward Egbuka himself, in a practice viewed as unusual, stayed with the Speaker in his Assembly complex office for about six hours before effecting his arrest and those of other legislators at about 3:00pm.
To be able to effect the arrest, the police fired teargas canisters intensely into the air and effectively cleared the pro-speaker youths who were keeping vigil at the main gate into the premises and entertaining themselves with live band garrulous dancing.
Nevertheless, the arrested members were driven away via the back gate as Egbuka assured them of their safety and safe passage to their ‘homes’.
Meanwhile, the main entrance and front office section of the building housing the Assembly Chambers is in shreds as an early morning clash between the thugs sympathetic to the Speaker clashed with pro-government hoodlums who gained access into the premises from the back gate.
There has been a debacle in the House since last Thursday when seven members loyal to Governor Lalong, in what has been described as parliamentary travesty, claimed that they impeached the Speaker and elected and swore in a new one.
The twenty four-member House needs eight members to form a quorum and two-thirds, or 16 out of the 24 members’ signatures to impeach the speaker or any of the principal officers of the House.
The House has since been divided into two camps with 14 of the members in full support of the Speaker Abok Ayuba while 10 are against.
There are fears that the arrest and detention of the House members may escalate tension and worsen the public perception of Governor Lalong, who is already tumbling and being derided based on local opinion polls.
