Assembly Leadership Crisis: Bauchi Governor Begs Traditional Rulers To Intervene
Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
The Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed has appealed to traditional rulers in the state to intervene in the leadership crisis rocking the state Assembly.
It was reported that the Bauchi State House of Assembly was thrown into confusion when elected members held parallel inauguration leading to the emergence of two factional Speakers.
Abubakar Suleiman was elected by 13 members with the Clerk presiding over the sitting inside the Assembly complex, while the factional Speaker, Kawuwa Damina, was elected outside the Assembly complex by 18 members under the symbol of a mace.
The All Progressives Congress has 22 members, the Peoples Democratic Party has eight while the New Nigeria People’s Party has one.
Governor Mohammed made the appeal in his speech during the swearing-in of the Head of Service and five Special Advisers at the Banquet Hall of the Government House in Bauchi on Friday.
He said, “In Bauchi, we have had serious challenges between the National Assembly and now, the State Assembly. In the past, we have experiences where some Members of the State Assembly were even expelled at the instance of the Governor.
“I am a Legislator, my colleague (Deputy Governor) is also a Legislator. We respect the Legislature because that was where we emerged to where we are.
“Our problems with our brothers, the Legislators who refused to come to be inaugurated, we want intervention from the royal fathers and our leaders so that they can see reasons. We have no reason to exclude them. We have no reason to stop them from exercising their constitutional duties unless they choose to do what they are doing today but the door is open for them to come.
“I have done the proclamation within the context of the law and all procedures were followed. I interacted with the investigative committee that came and I am ready to abide by their outcomes to make sure that everybody’s hands are on deck so that we can take Bauchi to the next level,” he stated.
