Six of the 20 members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) including
Speaker of the Nasarawa State
House of Assembly, Musa Ahmed Mohammed, who signed the impeachment
notice against Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, are facing recall by
their constituents over allegations that they did not consult properly
before embarking on the exercise.
The other five members are: the deputy speaker, Elisha Agwadu,
Mohammed Baba Ibaku, Abdulkarim Usman, Francis Orogu and Mohammed Sidi
Bako. In two of the constituencies, namely Nasarawa-Central, and
Udege/Loko, where the speaker and Ibaku are representing,
respectively, people have for the past two weeks been collecting
signatures from constituents. But the other constituencies have just
commenced the exercise, Daily Trust gathered.
In Nasarawa-Central, the constituents have already set up a central
committee headed by the chairman of Nasarawa Local Government Area,
Tijjani Ahmed, who is coordinating the recall process with three
sub-committees.
A former council chairman, Barrister Mohammed Sani Bawa is heading the
Nasarawa-Central sub-committee, the state Commissioner of Agriculture,
Danladi Madaki, is heading the sub-committee for Udege, while Alhaji
Ibrahim Gambo and Nuhu Abubakar, a former councillor is heading the
sub-committee for Loko axis.
The council chairman, Tijjani Ahmed, told Daily Trust yesterday that
there are also seven sub-committees for the seven wards of
Nasarawa-Central, just as there are 44 sub-committees set up to
coordinate signatories in the 44 polling units of the constituency.
“We are on course and signatures have started coming in from
constituents against the two lawmakers representing the two
constituencies of Nasarawa Local Government,” Ahmed said.
The state commissioner of Agriculture, Madaki told Daily Trust that
constituents are “falling over each other to append their signatures
against Ibaku,” just as Sani Bawa said they are getting signatures
from Angwan Dalatu polling unit, where the speaker voted in 2011.
But Ibaku, who confirmed he is aware of the process initiated to
commence his recall, said he is not bothered by the development.
“I was voted by 43,500 PDP members of my constituency in 2011. My
opponent polled only 13,000. If the 43,500 people who elected me say
they want me out; I will be bothered. If disgruntled APC members in
their microscopic minority are initiating a recall against me, I will
be sleeping and waiting for 90 days for our people to go a referendum
to decide who is more popular in Udege/Loko,” he said.
When contacted, the speaker’s spokesman, Tanko Ibrahim, said: “Frankly
speaking, I have no comments.”
Francis Orogu, on his part, confirmed the moves against him but
insisted that the process is not one to give him sleepless nights.
“I have 100 per cent support from my constituents to go ahead with the
impeachment against the governor. I consulted my people and they gave
me the go ahead. Today, they are promising me an automatic ticket
because I did them proud by appending my signature to the impeachment
notice,” he said.
This is just as Lanze Kassim Ujah, a legislative aide to Usman of
Wamba, said he is aware of plans by the minority APC members in his
area to recall his boss, but added: “My boss consulted his
constituents and got their approval. He is still in touch with his
constituents”.
The deputy speaker, Elisha Agwandu said he got the mandate of a
majority PDP constituent to represent the area in the state assembly,
just as he insisted that he had the approval of the electorate to sign
the impeachment notice against the governor. Sidi Bako could not be
reached at press time.
