Crisis in Sokoto Assembly as Lawmakers Attempt to Remove Speaker

Sokoto State House of Assembly members today engaged in a free-for-all, as 10 members of the assembly who belong to the All Progressives Congress (APC) party attempted to remove the Speaker, Alhaji Salihu Maidaji.

Trouble started when the speaker arrived at the chamber and ordered the assembly leader to commence the proceedings. 

Thus, in a counter move, the Deputy Assembly Leader, Hon. Ibrahim Kabiru Kware, representing Kware constituency, led other aggrieved lawmakers by chanting “barawa barawo” in Hausa language meaning a “thief”.

However, this resulted into commotion as members engaged the speaker in fisticuffs which caused the House mace to be broken.

The speaker was immediately whisked away by security operatives, as he escaped with the broken mace.

Addressing journalists shortly after the fracas, the spokesman of the  aggrieved 10 lawmakers, Hon. Sani Yakubu representing Gudu constituency, accused the speaker of being a stooge of the executive.

He also accused the speaker of misappropriation of funds allotted to the assembly, diverting them for his personal use.

Yakubu lamented that the assembly has so far approved a loan of N100 billion for the state government, which according to him, may plunge the state into massive debt that it would not be able to pay for a long time.

"The speaker has been spending money recklessly  without the approval of the assembly. We have approved N100 billion for the state government, and from now till next year, if nothing is done, Sokoto State wont be able to pay workers' salaries. The speaker has made himself a stooge of the executive arm as well as put the state in a financial mess," he stated.

Responding, the speaker, Maidaji said the allegations are false, adding that there was no iota of truth in them. The speaker who spoke through the assembly leader, Bello Garba, said: 'I don't think there is anything unusual about the assembly approving loan for the executive arm to carry out project for the state."