Speaker banned from Gombe Assembly by workers on strike

The Speaker, Gombe state House of Assembly, Mr Abubakar Luggerewo, on Tuesday was not allowed to enter the premises of the assembly as the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) members barricaded its entrance.

Luggerewo implored the PASAN members, stating their protest should be done peaceably and warned against any effort of hijacking it.

He guaranteed that as the state government, under the government of Governor Inuwa Yahaya, had revealed that it was a listening administration, the association would be given a just hearing.

Luggerewo said, “We spoke with him (Governor Yahaya) this morning and he told me that he is going to call the Gombe state chapter for dialogue tomorrow God willing and I believe it will be resolved soon.”

Meanwhile, the Chairman of Gombe State branch of PASAN, Muhammad Bello, disclosed that the strike was an indefinite one, stating that, “we would not be moved until we see the implementation of financial autonomy for the state house of assembly.

“We came out today to protest a breach of the constitutional provision. If you could recall in 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law Nigeria legislative autonomy, and after that issued an executive order.

“The order was for all 36 states’ legislative arms to be independent and autonomous. Up till now we have not seen the implementation of that order.”

Bello held the Nigeria Governor’s Forum responsible for the non-implementation of the demand, stating that Buhari had good intentions for the parliamentary arm, but the “NGF has become the stumbling block toward the implementation.”

He declared that the execution of the request had become an issue in light of the fact that the NGF stopped it.

Bello said, “That’s why we came out today to show Nigerians that the principle of separation of power and constitution is not being upheld.

“They are not supreme to the constitution. We are all Nigerians and they have to follow the doctrine of that democracy, which advocates that separation of powers is supreme.”

He emphasised that legislative activities, regardless of how significant, would not be permitted in the assembly, stating that, “no autonomy, no work. If financial autonomy is not implemented, the gates of the assembly will remain shut.”

PASAN members barricaded the assembly gate reciting solidarity songs and carrying placards, some reading “No financial autonomy, no legislation,” “I support independence of legislative arm.”