Plateau: Reinstated speaker insists on presiding despite police sealing assembly

The reinstated Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon Abok Nuhu, has insisted that he will preside over plenary despite the sealing of the assembly complex by the police. Police officers on Wednesday took control of the assembly to prevent breakdown of law and order following the leadership crisis rocking the parliament after […]

The reinstated Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon Abok Nuhu, has insisted that he will preside over plenary despite the sealing of the assembly complex by the police.

Police officers on Wednesday took control of the assembly to prevent breakdown of law and order following the leadership crisis rocking the parliament after a court reinstated Abok on Monday.

A day after he was reinstated, Abok presided over plenary together with seven other members loyal to him.

But soon after the plenary ended, a notice of stay of execution was brought to the clerk of the assembly to delay the execution of the court order after the state government appealed the case on Tuesday.

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However, Abok told reporters yesterday at a media briefing that police presence would not stop him from presiding over  plenary.

He said, “We are going to continue with our sitting. We don’t know the interest of the police in this case. We told them clearly that the lawyers representing the police have misled the Police Commissioner.

“He (police commissioner) was not properly briefed on what is happening. They should allow democracy to function.”

The lawyer of the embattled speaker, Chuwong Paul, on his part, said the judgment was declarative; hence the police should not prevent his client from gaining access to the house.