- APC crisis: NASS members boycott unity rally
John Adams, Minna
Niger State House of Assembly has directed the state Governor Abubakar Sani Bello to immediately dissolve the 25 local government councils in the state.
The house said its action followed the failure of the chairmen to discharge their duties and function under the Niger State Local government law, 2001 in a manner conducive to the welfare and wellbeing of the people of their areas of authorities.
The decision was taken at the plenary of the house, yesterday, after the presentation of the report of the house committee on local government on oversight function to all the local government councils in the state.
According to the house, the decision was also informed by the “failure of all the legislative councils to hold their meetings and sittings as required under section 38; subsection (1) of Niger State Local Government law, 2001”.
The committee, chaired by Abdulmalik Muhammad Kabir, representing Paikoro, in its report, recommended that the governor should “take all necessary steps to ensure the existence of democratically elected local government councils in accordance with the provisions of section 7; subsection (1) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended by conducting election into the local government councils within three months”.
The motion further directed the council chairmen to handover the affairs of the councils to their respective Director of Personnel Management (DPM).
The Assembly unanimously accused the chairmen for their “failure to discharged their duties and functions under the Niger State Law in a manner conducive to the welfare and well- being of the people of their respective areas of authorities”
Meanwhile as the crisis in the All Progressives Congress, (APC) Niger State chapter deepens, some members of the National Assembly from the state are set to boycott the party’s unity rally slated for this Saturday, February 17 in Minna, the state capital.
The unity rally is in furtherance to the earlier peace meeting among members of the party which took place in Abuja last week. At the meeting, all the elected members of the party, except the Senator representing Niger East Senatorial District, Senator David Umoru were in attendance.
But fillers from the camp of the National Assembly members indicate that they are not well disposed to the rally and the motives behind it, and have, therefore, decided not to attend.
The rally is meant to, among other things, endorse President Muhammadu Buhari and the governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello for second term in office by the party.
In addition to this, all the national and state assembly members are to be endorsed for second term in office at the planned rally.
A very reliable source close to the lawmakers revealed that the senator representing Niger North Senatorial District, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi Sabi had been mandated by the party after the peace meeting in Abuja to liaise with all the national assembly members to get their consent on the proposed endorsement.
Senator Sabi was said to have met a brick wall when some of the lawmakers told the “peace Ambassador” that the idea of automatic tickets for all elected members in the state will not be a healthy one for the party.
According to our source, the lawmakers said that they are not disposed to the idea, and would rather prefer to test their popularity before the electorate at the party primaries.
The unity rally is expected to climax the ongoing local government “meet the people’s tour” by the state governor, Abubakar Sani Bello in Minna.
According to the source close to the party in Minna, President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to attend the rally which will coincide with his visit to the state, and will formerly receive some decampes into the party.
The President will also be commissioning a 10 kilometer road started by the previous administration but completed by the APC administration.
The secretary of the party, Barrister Mohammed Liman told Daily Sun that the proposed unity rally is in furtherance to the Abuja peace meeting which he said was solely meant to unite the aggrieved national assembly members with the governor.
He disclosed that the rift between the governor and the lawmakers informed the decision of the party executive to organize a reconciliation meeting in Abuja last week, stressing that “and all of them except Senator Umoru whom we were told was engaged in a legislative assignment, were in attendance”.
“In furtherance to the Abuja reconciliation meeting, the party has scheduled February 17, for a unity rally in Minna where members from across the state are expected to gather to brainstorm and chart a way forward,” he said.