BY CHAMBERLAIN ODEY, JOS – A deputy speaker has been elected for the Plateau State House of Assembly. He is Hon. Sale Timing, member representing Deng state constituency.
This followed the removal of the former deputy speaker, Hon Yusuf Adamu Babayo Gagdi earlier during plenary, when signatures of 18 out of 24 members indicating desire for some changes in the leadership of the House were verified and confirmed by the Clerk of the House as authentic.
It was learnt that the executive session that preceded the plenary lasted for about 10 minutes, before the ousted deputy speaker, Hon Yusuf Gagdi, arrived. However, having arrived on time to join in the beginning of the plenary, the ‘coup’ had literally been accomplished, as the speaker wasted no time, upon verification of the signatures, to pronounce that since the 18 signatures met the statutory requirement, the deputy speaker ceased to be.
Accordingly, Hon Eric Dakogol, representing Quan Pan North state constituency, nominated Hon Sale Yilmong of Dengi state constituency in Kana local government area, a motion that in an uncommon show of political sportsmanship and bravado, was seconded by the fallen deputy speaker, Hon Yusuf Gagdi, representing Kantana state constituency also in Kanam Local Government Area in Plateau Central zone.
No ground was cited as undoing of the former speaker. But the number of the signatures, their analysis, and the few moments preceding the sitting when the change was effected point to a grand conspiracy to which the House speaker subscribed, with strong strings pulling from Little Ray Field.
Hon Gagdi who sounded morally strong enough and immediately accompanied his traducers led by the Speaker to pay a condolence visit to the Pauline Tallen family told reporters immediately after the change that all is well as the development could be a spiritual clearance, forbearing some socio-political upliftment.
