Drama in Bauchi Assembly As Lawmakers Elect 2 Speakers

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Thursday, June 20th, 2019

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Eighteen out of the 31 lawmakers-elect of Bauchi State House of Assembly Thursday held a parallel inauguration and re-elected Mr Kawuwa Damina as the new speaker.

The Members-elect who held plenary outside the assembly complex under the stature of the symbol of a mace, also elected Tukur Ibrahim as parallel Deputy Speaker.

Earlier 11 out of the 31 elected Members of the House of Assembly elected Abubakar Suleiman as their own Speaker.

The Bauchi House of Assembly comprises 22 members-elect on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has eight members-elect while the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has one lawmaker-elect in the Legislative Chamber.

The first parallel session of the inauguration was presided over by the Clerk of the House, Mr. Yusuf Gital. The sitting which began at 7:00 a.m. had 11 members-elect in attendance out of which eight were of the PDP, two from the APC and one from the NNPP.

Parallel Speaker, Suleiman (Ningi Central Constituency, APC), emerged unopposed after he was nominated.

Danlami Kawule (Zungur/Galambi (PDP) was elected the Deputy Speaker.

However, 18 APC members had gone to the House as early as 8:00 a.m. as against the 10:00 a.m. official commencement of the sitting only to discover that the PDP members had outsmarted them by being there as early as 7:00 a.m.

The PDP members held plenary during which they elected the two principal officers.

The APC lawmakers, who were obviously aggrieved at the development, grabbed the mace and tried to take it away but were stopped by the Sergeant-at-arms and other security operatives present.

After the election, the newly-elected factional Speaker, Suleiman, adjourned the plenary indefinitely.