Impeached Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Ayuba Abok, has narrated how the state governor, Simon Lalong, allegedly supervised his impeachment by seven lawmakers on Thursday.


Abok alleged that the governor camped six of the pro-impeachment plot lawmakers in his house a day before the impeachment exercise.


Also yesterday, Governor Lalong received in audience the new Speaker, who led a delegation to formally inform him about the change of leadership in the House, with a promise to collaborate with the executive.


The ‘impeached’ speaker said as early as 5 am the following day, Lalong led six of the lawmakers into the floor of the State House of Assembly where they were joined by another lawmaker and superintended over his “impeachment” on the floor of the House.


To perfect the process, Abok said, the Clerk of the House was “arrested around 1 am” to pave way for the impeachment process.


The speaker, who spoke to reporters in Abuja yesterday at a briefing organised by the Not Too Young to Run Movement, said: “What happened in Plateau State is very unfortunate that someone that has headed that institution, a former Speaker, lawyer, a leader of the 19 Northern Governors Forum, it is very unfortunate that this is the kind of leadership that we have in Nigeria, that doesn’t respect the constitution.


“The governor camped six members in his house and took them to the floor of the House of Assembly in the morning, by 5 am, and brought another one to join them to become seven.


“They started the impeachment process without due process. They arrested the Clerk of the House at 1 am and they did what they did and called it impeachment of the speaker of the house.

“If this continues, then we don’t have a country.”


Abok said he fell out with the governor for kicking against killings in the state.


He said the house led by him forced the governor to start visiting some communities affected by the crisis.


This, he explained, made the governor uncomfortable and made him vow to remove him even if with only two members of the House.


Earlier, the Convener of Not Too Young to Run Movement, Samson Itodo, had condemned the removal of the speaker by the seven Lawmakers.


In a statement issued yesterday, Itodo demanded as follows: “That the President issues a directive to security agencies to restore order in the House and ensure Rt Hon Ayuba Nuhu Abok is accorded full legal and security protection to preside over the legislative business of the House without intimidation and interference.


“That the National Assembly should take legislative action to uphold the constitution and defend the legislature as a cardinal institution of democracy. The National Assembly should invite the Inspector General of Police and Director-General of Department of State Services for questioning over the involvement of these institutions in the constitutional breach.


“That the state government respects the doctrine of separation of powers enshrined in the constitution and ensure it refrains from interfering with the business of the House or undermining its legitimate leadership.


“That the eight legislators and their benefactors be held to account for subverting a constituted authority and undermining the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”