Groups Protest Removal Of Female Deputy Speaker

Women groups, on Monday, held a rally in front of Adamawa State House of Assembly to protest the removal of the assembly’s female Deputy Speaker, Mrs Wale Fwa.

Members of the Assembly last Monday passed a vote of no confidence on the house’s leadership, leading to the removal of the Speaker, Alhaji Sadiq Ibrahim, and his deputy, Fwa.

The speaker was replaced with Alhaji Ahmadu Umaru and the deputy with Mr Laori Kwamoti.

The women groups, including National Council for Women Society (NCWS), Market Women Association and Female Lawyers Association, carried placards bearing varied inscriptions.

The women chanted, “Wale must come back”, “No Wale no sitting”.

Some of the placards read: “No woman, No sitting”, “Where is our 35 per cent affirmative action”, “All we are saying go back to status quo” to drive home their point.

Spokesperson of the women, Mrs Arziki Sawa, said they would not relent in their fight until “justice is done”.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that also at the house to protest were some group of youths demanding the return of the impeached speaker.

Reacting to the development, the house’s new Deputy Speaker, Mr Laori Kwamoti, described the protesters as rented crowd, saying the house would not be intimidated by their actions.

NAN reports that since the change of leadership, the house has not sat to adopt the proceedings that led to emergence of the new leadership because of the protests.

Deputy Speaker