Police seal off Nasarawa Assembly over leadership crisis

Police seal off Nasarawa Assembly over leadership crisis

The police sealed off the Nasarawa House of Assembly Complex on Wednesday in a bid to avert a breakdown of law and order following the emergence of two speakers for the seventh assembly.

It was gathered that the immediate past Speaker, Rt. Hon. Ibrahim Balarabe-Abdullahi, who was seeking a third term as Speaker, and Hon. Daniel Ogazi, a member representing Kokona East constituency in the Assembly, were both elected as speakers in parallel sittings on Tuesday.

While Balarabe-Abdullahi was elected at a sitting that took place at the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ogazi emerged as Speaker from the proceedings at the State Assembly complex.

Thirteen members-elect, including those from the opposition political parties, were believed to have supported Ogazi, who is a member of the All Progressives Congress, while 11 members were loyal to Balarabe-Abdullahi, who is also a member of the APC in the state.

However, speaking on why police had to seal off the assembly complex, DSP Ramhan Nansel, the state Police Public Relations Officer, said in a statement released on Wednesday that the action was due to a directive by the state Commissioner of Police, Maiyaki Mohammed-Baba.

He also said that the commissioner gave the directive after consultation with other security agencies in the state.