By Emmanuel Nduka
Eight out of 24 Lawmakers on Thursday impeached Ayuba Abok as the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly.
The removal of Abok, a first-term Lawmaker representing Jos East Constituency, raises questions on the legality of the action, as two-thirds of the 24 Lawmakers in the Assembly are required by law to conduct a impeachment.
Lawmaker representing Pengana Constituency, Yakubu Sanda of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has since replaced Abok.
Confirming the development, Lawmaker epresenting Rukuba/Irigwe Constituency, Musa Agah, descried it as a brazen illegality.
“It was this morning (Thursday) that some few members rushed to the Plateau State House of Assembly as early as 6am. You know the state House of Assembly is made up of 24 members and the constitutional requirement for the removal of the Speaker is two-thirds majority which is 16 members.
“So, eight lawmakers rushed to the Assembly this morning against the House rules that plenary commences from 9 am, and even if there is going to be an extraordinary sitting, the Speaker is the one who is empowered to convene such. But that did not happen.
“When some of us heard about it, we rushed to the Assembly complex only to discover that security operatives had barricaded everywhere. Some of us were stopped from gaining entry to the Assembly complex while they also harassed others,” he said.
