Plateau Assembly in rowdy session over LG chairmen’s tenure extension •14 APC members vote for six months extension

The existing cordial relationship and spirit of camaraderie between 10 lawmakers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of the Plateau State Assembly and 14 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of the House, was severed on Thursday, as the PDP members walked out of the chamber in protest against a move by the executive arm and the APC lawmakers to extend the tenure of management committee chairmen of 17 local government councils by six months.

At the plenary, the Speaker of the House, Honourable Peter Azi had read a communication from Governor Simon Lalong, asking for the extension of the tenure of the management committee chairmen to six months for stability and focus.

According to the governor, the six months extension is to allow the government to put necessary machinery in place for a hitch-free conduct of local government elections in the state.

The move, however, turned rowdy as the 10 PDP members vehemently kicked against the extension by six months, insisting that it should be extended by just two months based on the earlier agreement and also subjected to the performance of the chairmen in the past months.

In his contributions, the Deputy Speaker, Honourable Yusuf Gagdi representing Kantana constituency on the platform of the PDP, disclosed that the House had received 11 petitions against the management committee chairmen, adding that if they were doing well, petitions would not have been issued against them.

He pointed out that they were allegations of massive corruption levelled against them, arguing that their tenure should not be extended beyond two months.

Also speaking, member representing Jos North, North constituency, Honourable Ibrahim Baba Hassan, urged the House to consider the six- month tenure extension to the pave way for proper planning of the councils’ election in the state.

The Nigerian Tribune gathered that as the Speaker was about to subject the motion to a vote, the 10 PDP lawmakers walked out of the chamber in protest while the 14 APC members voted in support of the six-month tenure extension of the local councils’ chairmen.