Speakership Crisis: Sule Recognises Abdullahi as Speaker

Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia

Following the emergence of two Speakers at the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, the state Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has said he only recognises Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi as the Speaker of the Assembly.

The immediate-past Speaker of the Assembly, Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, and Hon. Daniel Ogah Ogazi, were last Tuesday elected simultaneously at different locations as Speakers of the state House of Assembly.

However, while featuring as a guest on Arise Television last Wednesday night, Governor Sule said he only recognised Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, who was sworn in by the clerk of the Assembly.

He said: “Only the clerk can swear in a Speaker. The moment he inaugurates a Speaker, the Speaker will now turn around to inaugurate the other members.

“In Nasarawa State, we have the House of Assembly and the former House of Assembly. The clerk went and sworn in these members-elect and brought them to my office. Some people are making noise about whether they are 10 or eight.”

The governor, therefore, said the quorum for the House of Assembly was one-third, and those members-elect that were inaugurated were 11.

Sule said: “I followed the law. Who do you want me to recognise, the one sworn in by the clerk or the one sworn in by only God knows who?

“I think executives have the right as human beings. As a governor, I am also a citizen of Nasarawa State. I have the right to say I prefer this rather than that. I have a choice. I am a human being. But it is not compulsory.”

The governor, therefore, explained that his preference for Abdullahi  was because he was mature and had been able to keep the state House of Assembly calm.

“Before Speaker Abdullahi came, we had a House of Assembly that people punch one another. Since I came in in 2019, there has not been one time where we had any kind of problems within the Assembly, where people are punching one another.

“He has the respect of most of the members. We have 11 members of the Assembly that are APC. Eight are with him in this same exercise that we are talking about. Before I had my preference, I had a discussion with the party and the party also chose him and said it is the right person that we want,” the governor justified.

This was even as the governor continued that he consulted also with some of the major stakeholders in the state and agreed that Abdullahi was the right person.