Members of the Niger State House of Assembly have reportedly broken the lock on the gate used by the Police to allegedly stop them from sitting to commence impeachment proceedings against Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu.
21 out of the 27 members of the house, who already form over the two-third majority required to carry out the impeachment process are on the verge of impeaching the Governor.
Reports disclose that the mace and the Clerk to the House of Assembly were nowhere to be found, which will hinder them from holding a legal sitting.
However, the insistent members pledged to proceed with the sitting despite the heavy presence of security operatives at the complex.
A member said: “We will go all out to impeach those who are stumbling blocks in the State.
“The reason for this action is severance allowance, nonpayment of salaries and other entitlements.”
Another aggrieved member said: “They are owing each of us about N18 million as entitlements.
“This was after paying us half salaries since February this year.”
The gate to the premise was locked by the Police in the early hours of Tuesday to prevent the members and staff of the House from coming in or going out.
This, supposedly, was to prevent the members from forming a quorum to move for the impeachment of Aliyu as earlier speculated.
In their reaction, some of the aggrieved members who were inside ordered the most Senior Officer guarding the gate to open it but the Police officer, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said he was not with the keys of the gate.
The legislators, after pleading with the DSP, promptly got a stone and proceeded to break the padlock.
In their protest, they shouted: “Are we prisoners?
“Did we beat anyone?
“Did we cause riot?
“Why should you lock us in?
“These people are trying to create trouble when there is no trouble.”
