Irate Youths Protest, Barricade Entrance to Adamawa Assembly Complex

Daji Sani in Yola

Irate youths in Adamawa State yesterday protested and barricaded the entrance of  the state House of Assembly over a perceived moves by the Assembly to  declare the seat of Hon Joseph Ayuba, member representing Michika state constituency, vacant following his recent defection from the  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All progressives Congress (APC).

The angry youths in their numbers were seen at the entrance of the state Assembly complex carrying placards with inscription such as: ‘We will not allow the moves by the house to declare  the seat of Hon Ayuba vacant’; ‘If the house will do justice, the house should also declare  vacant the seats of some members who defected from APC to PDP earlier before Ayuba’s defection to APC’.

The youths were sponsored to halt the Assembly from its alleged plans believed to be carried out at yesterday’s plenary.

However, during the plenary, the Speaker of the Assembly, Hon Aminu Iya Abbas, while reading the agenda on the floor of the Assembly, he did not mention anything close to declaring Ayuba’s seat vacant.

Until the Assembly finished its sitting, it did not discuss anything related to declaring Ayuba’s seat vacant.

But according to a source in the House of Assembly, “it was true that the Assembly wanted to declare the seat of Ayuba vacant sequel to his recent defection to APC.”

He said if not for the irate youths, the Assembly would have removed him today (yesterday).

The source said others members who defected followed the due-process by communicating the Assembly and their parties, but that Ayuba did not.

“His party and the Assembly felt he has no respect for them, and wanted to show him the way out of the Assembly.

“However, the plan is just suspended for another day, there’s authority that be will surely carry out it plans in the near future,” he said.

Every attempt to get the Speaker’s reaction failed, as he refused to speak on the issue.

At the time of sending this report, the police have deployed some of their personnel to protect the complex of the House of Assembly, while the protesting youths dispersed as the Assembly did not carry out its alleged plans.

However, the  Director-General of Media to Governor Ahmadu  Umaru Fintiri, Mr. Solomon Kumangar, yesterday said the defection of the member representing Michika state constituency in the House of Assembly, Joseph Ayuba, from the PDP was a great relief to the party.

The DG  said Ayuba was always in opposition to the ruling party, who used his position as a member to frustrate the workings of the government.

He also said the leadership of the state House of Assembly knows the position of the law regarding defection when there is no crisis, as Musa Bororo’s defection was as a result of the problem rocking the party, but that Ayuba has no justification for his action.