Bauchi gov says Assembly crisis ‘shameful’ as Reps panel visits

The Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has described the
crisis rocking the state’s House of Assembly as “shameful,”
insisting that there is just one Speaker in the state.

He said this during a courtesy call on him by the mediation
committee set up by the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Femi Gbajabiamila, to intervene in the crisis in the assembly, at
the Government’s House in Bauchi on Monday.

The committee later paid a courtesy visit to the Emir of Bauchi,
Dr Rilwanu Adamu, at his palace.

Recall that the assembly had been enmeshed in a crisis when
elected members of the assembly held parallel inauguration leading
to the emergence of two Speakers.

While Abubakar Suleiman was elected by 13 members loyal to the
governor and inaugurated by the Clerk, the 18 other members elected
Kawuwa Damina as the factional Speaker, at an event held outside
the assembly complex under the statute of the mace.

The assembly consists of 22 members of the All Progressives
Congress, eight of Peoples Democratic Party and one of New Nigeria
Peoples Party.

The governor said, “We are really ashamed with the situation
here in Bauchi; my deputy and I are high ranking senators, only to
find ourselves in this logjam but certainly, politics is dynamic,
some of the democratic manifestations come with crisis, some
salutary and some negative.

“We are, by this, loyal to the people of Bauchi and we respect
the autonomy and the sanctity of the parliament. What happened in
Bauchi is very regrettable.

“As far as we are concerned, there is just one House (of
Assembly) in Bauchi because elections were conducted and I was
privileged to sign the proclamation and the elections were held
with the clerk and the symbol of authority — the mace — was there
and inside the House not outside but within the timeline.”

Mohammed, who expressed concern that some members of the
assembly were excluded when the election of Suleiman was held
inside the chamber, said, “It is very sad for people representing
constituencies to be excluded in the discharge of their
parliamentary exercise.”

He told the committee that he and his deputy, as former
senators, would never undermine the importance of the
parliament.

“Certainly, your coming here is salutary to the people of Bauchi
and a shame to us distinguished senators, the only state where you
have two senators managing the affairs of the state. We will never,
in our culture and tutelage, undermine the importance and the
respect the parliament has as the second arm of the government,” he
said.

The governor lamented that the crisis in the Assembly had caused
a setback for him and the government, pointing out that the
withdrawal of some of members was slowing down the government.

“It is just because of this that we are exercising some
restraint, otherwise, we would have gone ahead to do so many
things,” he said.

Mohammed promised to abide by the decisions and recommendations
of the committee, promising to give the necessary support needed to
succeed in the assignment.

Earlier in his speech, the Chairman of the Committee, Sarki
Adar, told the governor that the committee was set up to come to
Bauchi and investigate the crisis rocking the state assembly.

He said as a result, an ugly incident in the history of that
parliament happened where two Speakers emerged, and the subsequent
closure of the assembly, which halted the legislative proceedings
of the state assembly.

According to him, the committee comprised 12 members drawn from
across all the geopolitical zones representing various tribes and
across party lines, adding that the committee is in Bauchi as
unbiased team and will do everything possible to discharge its
assignment diligently.

He said, “With this, we seek the support of your state
government, members of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, members
of the political parties and any other stakeholder involved in the
state, who has information that will help us.

“Our concern is to find solutions so that the progress of this
state can continue without hindrance. All of us here represent
various constituencies, some of us represent up to four local
governments and we know the importance of representation.

“So, by the act of what happened, the good people of Bauchi
State have been deprived of good representation at the assembly
because the assembly has been closed for about a month now.”

Adar called on members of the public in the state to feel free
to appear before the committee and make presentations which they
would work.