Published:
The lawmakers have been accused of huge fraud.
The Nasarawa state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged a planned attack on the state lawmakers for summoning the governor, Umaru Tanko Almakura, to appear in the chambers and explain his refusal to implement some resolutions of the house.
A statement signed by the state chairman of the party Yunana Iliya alleged that members of the state ruling party, All Progressive Congress, had hired thugs to attack the assembly members, and urged security operatives in the state to provide them with adequate security.
The resolutions include the governor’s failure to reinstate the management of the state university sacked last February; the sacked staff of the state owned Newspaper, Nigerian Newsday, and staff of the state transport company, Nasarawa Express.
The state PDP said it is behind the lawmakers in discharging their constitutional responsibility. The Nasarawa state House of Assembly is led in majority the PDP while the executive is led by the APC.
An investigation by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, published by PREMIUM TIMES, has detailed a massive scheme of fraud used by the state lawmakers to extort millions of naira of state funds from officials of the executive arm.
Lawmakers did not deny the scam but brazenly threatened to expose the governor’s own misdeeds if they were challenged.
The statement by the PDP said the lawmakers have the right to invite the governor and any government official, and urged the lawmakers not to be deterred by any threat in carrying out their responsibilities.
It warned of retaliation if the members were attacked.
”On the threat of the lives of members of the Assembly, we want to stress categorically that should they attack any member, they should be aware that no single man or group have the monopoly of violence,” the party said.
The party said those behind a previous attack on the assembly in 2011 are still parading the streets with impunity saying that it will not fold its arm and watch its members attacked by hoodlums.
“PDP wishes to draw the attention of security agencies and the general public of the ongoing plan by the ruling APC government to attack our respected and esteem members of the Nasarawa state house of Assembly simply because the institution is performing its constitutional right,” the statement said.
Reacting to the allegation, a spokesperson to the governor, Abdulhamid Kwarra, dismissed the allegation as a mere figment of imagination saying there was nothing of such within the circle of government and that of the APC as party.
Mr. Kwarra said that government appreciate the constitutional role of the Assembly and will not do anything directly or indirectly to impede or obstruct the Assembly from performing its legitimate function.
He added that the party APC in the state is yet to have officials in the state talk less of organizing youth to attack an institutions recognized by constitution of the country.
No comments:
Post a Comment