Leadership (Abuja)

Nigeria: Speaker's Resignation - Group Faults Benue Lawmakers

A group, Concerned Benue Citizens Coalition (G10), has described as undemocratic the forceful resignation of the speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, David Iorhemba, and said that the development was unhealthy for the progress of the state.

National President of the Group, Comrade Philip Agbese, who stated this yesterday in Makurdi while briefing newsmen, said that the act was meant to suppress the constitutional right of some legislators who, according to him, were coerced to unwarranted psychological trauma.

He said, "we unequivocally condemn the action of the members of the majority of the House to use crude force to suppress the constitutional right of Iorhemba thereby coercing him and subjecting members of his family to unwarranted trauma rather than using the laid down procedures to investigate him on any wrong doing."

Agbese insisted that the entire members of the house were on ego trip and abandoned the tool of due process and rule of law which was practiced across the country and the world.

He insisted that there should be an investigation into the case by law enforcement agencies toward finding those behind the act and to face appropriate sanctions in line with democratic laws, and called on various political parties in the state, civil society organisations, the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to prevail on the members to use the instrument of law making and not turn themselves into lawbreakers in broad day light."

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