The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has directed the state's Chief
Judge, Justice Sulaiman Dikko, to dissolve a seven-man panel he set up
to investigate allegations against the State Governor, Alhaji Tanko
Al-Makura.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Information and Security, Baba
Ibaku, disclosed this in a telephone interview with our correspondent
in Lafia, the state capital on Monday.
Ibaku said the lawmakers took the decision because members of the
panel were loyalists of the All Progressives Congress in the state.
This, he said, was against the provision of the Section 188 of the
1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
He said, "We had an emergency sitting to deliberate on the seven-man
panel that was set up by the state Chief Judge, Justice Umaru Auleiman
Dikko on Friday, last week. We asked him to dissolve the seven-man
panel because the members of the panel are APC members that hold
various political positions in the state."
Ibaku said this amidst tension in the state as youths burned a car,
belonging to a member of the state House of Assembly representing
Nasarawa Eggon East, in the Akuruba area of the state, Ibrahim Muluku.
The youths were said to be protesting the lawmakers' directive that
the chief judge should dissolve the panel set up to investigate
allegations of gross misconduct and abuse of oath of office against
the governor.
Investigations showed that some Eggon youths and some members of the
Ombatse militia group were said to have threatened to set ablaze
houses in Kaberi, believed to be All Progressives Congress supporters.
Another source, who did want his name in print, told our correspondent
that it took the intervention of the state's Commissioner of Police,
Idris Ibrahim, who appealed to the Ombastse militia and Eggon youths
not to engage in violent acts.
The state's Police Public Relation Officer, Umaru Ismila, also
confirmed the incident in a telephone interview in Lafia.
Muluku confirmed the incident to The PUNCH in a telephone interview.
He said his younger brother was driving out of his resident at Tudu
Adabo in Obi Local Government of the state to meet him at VIP Hotel
when the APC youths sighted him.
He alleged that his brother was stopped by the APC youths, who asked for him.
According to Muluku, the youths told his brother that they would kill him.
The lawmaker said the youths followed his brother to Akuraba area
where they asked him to stop, before they set the car ablaze.
But the state chairman of APC, Mr. Philip Shekwo, denied that the car
was burnt by youths loyal to his party.
He also said he was not aware that the House passed a resolution
directing the chief judge to dissolve the investigative panel.
-PUNCH
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