1st November, 2021
By Peter Amine
The crisis rocking the Plateau Assembly took a new twist on Monday as the embattled factional Speaker, Abok Ayuba, was taken away by in a police van from the assembly complex.
As he was being led away by a police team led by the Commissioner of Police in the state,Edward Egbuka, Ayuba in a brief chat with journalists said he did not know whether he was arrested or not.
The crisis rocking the Assembly was set off when Ayuba was impeached by 8 members of the assembly who also elected Yakubu Sanda as the new Speaker on 27 October.
But Ayuba and members of the house loyal to him had in turn held a session outside the assembly complex the same day.
During the session, they suspended six of the members that impeached him, and declared him(Ayuba) as the authentic speaker of the house.
Gov. Simon Lalong had recognised Sanda as the new speaker of the assembly.
However, Ayuba and the lawmakers loyal to him gained access to his office on Monday and were holding an executive session preparatory for a sitting when some youths staged a protest in front of the assembly complex in support of Ayuba.
Egbuka told journalists that they were going to another venue to continue with discussions they started in the speaker’s office.
He said that they would address the press when the discussions were concluded.
The embattled speaker said that he would address journalists at the end of everything.
NAN reports that before the speaker was taken out of the assembly complex, the youths who were protesting in front of the complex in his support were dispersed by security personnel.
Tear gas canisters were thrown at the protesters with water cannons stationed to ensure that the protesters left the premises, as part of the operation.