LG C’ttee tenure: Plateau Assembly in rowdy session

Ten members of the People Democratic Party (PDP), at the Plateau State House of Assembly, on Thursday, staged a walk-out as the House, led by Hon. Peter Azi, moved to extend the tenure of the Management Committee Chairmen of the 17 Local Government Councils by six months.

Azi had read a communication from Governor Simon Lalong, asking for an extension of the tenure of Management Committee Chairmen of the 17 LGA, for six months for stability, following the expiration of their tenure on Wednesday.

According to Lalong, “the six month extension is to allow the government to put some necessary machinery in place for a conducive conduct of the council poll in the state”.

Contributing on the floor of the House a member representing Kantana Constituency, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who is also the Deputy Speaker Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, said that the members had received eleven petitions against the management committee chairmen.

According to him, “if the Management Committee Chairmen  were doing well,  petitions would not have been written against them most, especially that the petitions are coming from some members of the All Progressives Congress  (APC)”, he said.

He pointed out that there were allegation of massive corruption levelled against some Management Committee Chairmen, arguing that their tenure should not be extended for more than two months.

Also speaking, a member representing Jos North Constituency, Hon. Ibrahim Baba Hassan, urged the House to consider the six months’ tenure extension to pave way for proper planning of the Council election.

And when Azi wanted to put the motion on a voice vote, 10 PDP lawmakers walked out from the House of Assembly chambers.

Even so, the House eventually extended the tenure of the Management Committee Chairmen by six months.