That brawl at Nasarawa Assembly

The brawl that took place last Monday on the floor of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly over the appointment of 11 Local Government Council sole administrators by the state Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura was unpleasant, objectionable and most dishonourable on the part of supposedly honourable members. The row occurred during plenary that saw the […]

The brawl that took place last Monday on the floor of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly over the appointment of 11 Local Government Council sole administrators by the state Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura was unpleasant, objectionable and most dishonourable on the part of supposedly honourable members.
The row occurred during plenary that saw the lawmakers exchanging blows and destroying seats and other valuables in the chambers. The fight was between those for and those against the decision of the governor to appoint sole administrators, instead of transition committee chairmen for the councils. Opponents said the governor had ‘influenced’ some of the legislators in order to have his way, but the accused legislators denied the charge.  Monday’s sitting at the assembly was abruptly terminated, prompting the deployment of Department of State Service (DSS) agents and policemen to restore calm.
Six members of the assembly, who were said to be against the appointment of sole administrators for the councils, were invited  by the DSS operatives while  the remaining 18 legislators led by the deputy speaker, Godiya Akwashiki, reconvened where they unanimously voted to suspend those members who had been arrested. The suspended members include Kassim M. Kassim (APC, Akwanga South), Abubakar Obere Kana (APC, Kokona West), Makpa Malla (APC, Wamba), Mohammed Okpoku (APC Udega/Loko), Musa Ali (APC, Keffi East) and Murtala Sodangi (APC, Nasarawa Central).
A lawmaker, Makpa Malla, described Governor Al-Makura’s action as illegal, saying that the state assembly will not fold its arms while the governor perpetrated illegality in a democratic environment. He said, “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Section 7 Sub section 1 as amended, guarantees for a democratically elected system of local government, its structure and how it should be run. That is why we are kicking against the appointment of sole administrators which only existed in the military era.”
Incidentally, Governor Al-Makura went ahead and swore in the 11 new sole administrators to oversee the affairs of the councils amidst the protest and confusion.
We condemn the dishonorable action of Nasarawa lawmakers by resorting to fisticuffs in matters that required decorum and understanding. That the lawmakers fought grimly over the argument of whether to appoint sole administrators or transition committee chairmen for the councils, was most appalling. The behavior exhibited by the lawmakers smacks of indecency and they ought to have advocated for conduct of election into the councils instead of the undemocratic arrangement at the grassroots. Most disgustingly all the suspended lawmakers are members of the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), which revels in the garb of change. Because the citizens of Nasarawa state voted for it are desirous of change, the lawmakers should have pushed for elections to hold instead of fighting over selfish interests.
On the other hand, the governor should also share in the blame for failure to carry the state lawmakers along and allowing the issue to degenerate into a fracas.  Some states have seamlessly constituted local government caretaker councils. The unwanted development in Nasarawa State implied a breakdown of political negotiation that involves hard bargaining, compromise, shrewdness and sometimes even secret or unofficial deals. In addition, the swiftness with which the governor inaugurated the sole administrators in the midst of the confusion worsened the situation and easily lent credence to the suspicion that he was the force behind the fracas.
Only last year, the union of Local Government workers Association protested that most state governments in the country fail to conduct regular local elections and prefer to maintain direct control over the councils and their funds through the instrument of caretaker committees. We once again urge all state governments to get rid of this habit and to strive to fulfill the constitutional stipulation of democratically elected leadership at the local level. In the case of Nasarawa State, we urge both the governor and aggrieved lawmakers to sheath their swords and to trail the path of constitutionality and decorum.