Plateau Killings: You Lie, Gov Lalong Tackles Speaker After Accusing Him Of Inaction

Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, has accused the Speaker of the State’s House of Assembly, Abok Ayuba, of peddling lies after the latter claimed that the executive government was paying deaf ears to recommendations by the legislature regarding recent killings in the state.

Ayuba, while appearing on Channels TV’s ‘Sunrise Daily’ programme on Monday, had also claimed that the executive arm of the state government had ordered security men to lay siege to the assembly complex.

He said the assembly came under siege after lawmakers criticized Governor Lalong’s handling of current security challenges in the state.

The lawmakers had given Lalong two weeks to “take action on the resolutions the House has forwarded on security matters and how to restore peace,” adding that the governor must “come up with a statement defending us as a people and to bring back renewed commitment to the cause of Plateau.”

During his appearance on the TV programme on Monday, the Plateau assembly Speaker restated that Governor Lalong had repeatedly refused to consider resolutions put forward by the legislature on how insecurity in the state could be resolved.

Ayuba said due to the governor’s alleged refusal to heed their advice, the lawmakers resolved to ask citizens of the state to defend themselves from aggressors.

“We are constrained in this issue since the Chief Security Officer [would not accept resolutions of the House] regarding insecurity.

“To us members of the State House of Assembly, we feel that he [Gov Lalong] turns a kind deaf ears on us, not listening to us.

“As I am speaking to you now, the House of Assembly is under siege by the security because we spoke and because we standing with the people. They have sent security men there that nobody should go to the house. Can you imagine? We feel that the executive is no respecter of the law and does not respect the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“We have every right as members of the State House of Assembly to say what we said…So, because of the constraint, we asked the people to not just go to sleep as if nothing is happening,” the Speaker had said.

But reacting, Governor Lalong said Ayubu made a “false allegation” against the executive.

The governor reacted through Dan Manjang, the state’s Commissioner for Information and Communication.

“We wish to make it abundantly clear that the Executive arm of Government and the Governor is not aware or behind the purported sealing of the House as it does not dabble into the affairs of another independent arm of Government,” Manjang said in a statement he issued on Monday.

“It is on record that His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Simon Bako was the first Governor to implement full Autonomy for the legislature and Judiciary as well as Local Government in the country.

“It is therefore not possible for him to be associated with any action that will impede on the activities of the House which has its rules and conventions.

“The Governor remains the longest serving Speaker of the House in the history of democracy in Plateau State, understands the workings of the House, and has demonstrated uncommon respect to the leadership and members of the Assembly.

“To the best of our knowledge, the House of Assembly remains open for legislative business. The good people of Plateau State and members of the public are advised to ignore the allegation and refrain from dragging the Executive arm of Government and the Governor into the affairs of the House.

“Those who have any concerns should channel them to the security agencies and desist from peddling falsehood against the Executive arm of Government and His Excellency the Governor,” said the commissioner.