Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu
The impeachment plot against the Niger
State Governor, Aliyu Babangida, may have been stalled as the members of
the state House of Assembly pushing for the governor’s removal have
been paid N17m each.
Our correspondent gathered that the
lawmakers after receiving the N17m each were also promised by the state
government that their other demands would soon be met.
Consequently, the lawmakers have decided to stop the impeachment move against the governor.
Though the Speaker, state House of
Assembly, Isah Kawu, refused to comment on the issue when our
correspondent sought his reaction to the development, sources at the
assembly complex including lawmakers, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed
the development.
The
speaker, who spoke to our correspondent on the telephone said, “I
cannot speak on this issue on the telephone or anywhere on the matter.”
But one of the lawmakers confirmed this to our correspondent.
He said, “It was not as if the governor
bribed us, it is our legal entitlements and we have a right to ask for
it before the expiration of our tenure. We have been paid and calm has
returned to the assembly complex.”
Asked whether it was true that the
lawmakers had dropped the impeachment plot against the governor, the
lawmaker said, “there is no need for it again.”
Another source in the state House of
Assembly Complex told our correspondent that each of the lawmakers was
paid N17m as part of the allowances they were being owed since February.
This development, the source, who is a
worker in the assembly complex said, had brought calm to the House of
Assembly complex as the state police command had withdrawn security
operatives from the building. This, he added, had given the lawmakers
free access into their offices.
It will be recalled that last week, the
lawmakers had sacked the leadership of the assembly and elected a new
leadership over a series of allegations including non-implementation of
house resolutions, poor staff and members’ welfare and non-release of
the statutory allocation to the assembly for months. This, it was
learnt, was done to pave the way for the removal of the governor.
To frustrate the lawmakers, the governor
had headed for the court where he secured an order to restrain the
legislators from making any move to impeach him.
The governor had gone to the court after
the peace meeting between him(Aliyu) and the newly elected principal
officers of the House failed.
The House of Assembly was also occupied
by security operatives for so many days to prevent the members from
entering into the assembly complex to carry out their legislative
duties.
Due to this, Kawu had threatened to
institute a legal action against the Niger State Police Commissioner,
Mr. Emmanuel Amore, over what he described as the illegal occupation of
the state House of Assembly by security operatives.
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