Bauchi APC leaders, lawmakers petition Oshiomhole over assembly inauguration

…Party chairman takes case to Buhari, seeks police protection for legislators

Tunde Opalana, Abuja

Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State led by the immediate governor of the state, Mohammed Abubakar and members of the state Assembly elected on the platform of APC stormed the party’s national secretariat on Friday evening to notify its leadership of alleged impunity in the inauguration of the 9th Assembly.

Speaking on behalf of the team, a factional speaker, Dauwa Shehu Damina, said the Bauchi APC was at the national secretariat to seek the support of the national body to implore all apparatus of government concerned to ensure that the 9th Assembly in the state is properly inaugurated.

He told the national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and other National Working Committee members present that the inauguration of the assembly by a minority number of 11 members out of the 31 member assembly is an aberration of constitutional provision.

Damina narrated how the majority members were schemed out of the inauguration conducted at 6.30am and how they were harassed by policemen and that their lives are in danger.

He, however, said they are open to lawful settlement of the house leadership issue but would be prepared to take legal option as means of last resort to reclaim the Bauchi parliament.

Commending the lawmakers for their resilience in the face of intimidation, Oshiomhole assured them that the national secretariat will interface with the Presidency and the Inspector General of Police to wade into the Bauchi Assembly crisis.

Oshiomhole, who likened the Bauchi crisis to what happened in Edo State Assembly, said the party hierarchy will put an end to such erosion of rule of law and abuse of state apparatus like the police.

He said APC is a party that respects rule of law and has not arbitrarily misused Federal might but will navigate the issue legally.

The chairman, however, said the party will not fold its arm and watch the police providing cover for the minority on the order of the state government.

He said it is impossible with the PDP with just 10 members to produce Principal Officers of an Assembly in which the APC has controlling 21 members.

Oshiomhole said: “The governor has no option than to submit himself to the rule of law. We will fight it to logical conclusion. We will prevail on Police to provide security for legislators and the sanctity of the parliament.”

“The parliament is a public property; it is not in the discretion of the governor to lock it up.”