Impeachment: Assembly suspends 4 APC members for allegedly removing mace

Gombe State House of Assembly has suspended four All Progressives Congress (APC) members for allegedly conspiring to forcibly remove mace in a bid to prevent the impeachment of minority leader Ahmed Haruna.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some members of the State Assembly on Thursday forcibly removed the mace in an attempt to stop the impeachment of the minority leader.

NAN gathered that the APC members were annoyed following the role of Haruna in the APC ward and council’s congress in the state.

NAN recalls that the minority leader, had on May 6 led the APC stakeholders’ forum to reject the outcome of the ward congress, describing it as ‘total failure’.

He described the incidence at the floor of the house as true, undemocratic and unfortunate.

“What happened today is not good in terms of any democratic setting. We are peace loving members here but unfortunately, an incident occurred this noon.

“Some APC members had it in mind to impeach the minority leader. Within this saga, the eight APC members were divided into two groups.

“In the course of the saga, Mr Abdullai Abubakar of Akko West took the mace with assistance from three other members on his side.

“Four members were for the impeachment while four were against.

“However, in a bid to prevent any impeachment plan, the four members against the impeachment conspired to forcibly remove the mace.

“The house met using a spare mace and suspended the four members belonging to APC, who stole the mace, for four legislative days,” he said.

He said the mace was allegedly taken by Mr Abdullahi Abubakar of Akko West state constituency at exactly 1.15p.m and was assisted by Mr Mohammed Bello of Gombe South constituency all APC.

He listed the names of the suspended members as: Abdullahi Abubakar, Mohammed Bello, Ibrahim Abdullahi and Walid Mohammed; they were all against the impeachment of the minority leader.

All efforts to speak with the minority leader, Mr Ahmed Haruna, proved abortive as he refused to pick calls or respond to text messages sent to him.

Other members of the APC involved in the mace saga also turned off their phones.

The State’s Commissioner of Police, Mr Shina Olukolu, who was also present at the premises of the house, said he was yet to be officially briefed.