Jos Crisis: Government Plateau Denies Sealing Off Assembly Complex

The government of Plateau State refused to use security operators to seal the State Assembly Complex on Monday morning.

It came hours after security reports were built around the complex, although there was no reason for the deployment.

The information and communications commissioner Dan Manjang said the news that the assembly has been sealed is false and discarded on social media.

But on Monday, the House speaker Abok Nuhu Ayuba was quoted by online media as saying that the House was sealed.

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Manjang said: “The Plateau State Government’s attention was drawn to the allegations made by the House President, Rt. Abok Nuhu Ayuba on Channels TV, on Monday 30 August, that the Assembly Complex was sealed.

“This false allegation was circulated further on the social media associating the Executive and Governor arm behind it. We want to make it quite clear that the Executive branch of government and the Governor are unaware or behind the alleged sealing of the House since it does not engage in matters involving an independent arm of government.

“It is recorded that His Excellency Rt. Simon Bako was the first Governor to implement complete autonomy in the state for both the legislature and the judiciary. Therefore, he cannot be associated with any action that will impede the activity which has its rules and conventions,” he added.

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According to the Commissioner, in the history of democracy in the Plateau State, the governor remained the longest serving president of the House, understood the functioning of the House and showed uncommon respect for the leadership and Members of the assembly.

The Commissioner stressed further: “The House of Assembly remains open to legislative activities to the best of our knowledge. The good people of the Plateau State and the public are advised to ignore the allegation and not to drag the Executive Arm and the Governor into the House’s affairs.

“People who have concerns should direct this to security agencies and refrain from dealing wrongly with the executive branch of government and the governor’s His Excellency,” he added.