Abuja Municipal Council Speaker seizes mace to avoid impeachment, as police recover Gombe Assembly Mace

Speaker of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Legislative Council, Mr Daniel Michael, on Friday, seized the mace, the symbol of authority, to prevent his impeachment.
His action followed the move by his colleagues to impeach him over allegation of misconduct and abuse of privilege.
Mr Yusuf Kadir, the Majority Leader of the House, while moving a motion to pass a vote of no confidence on the speaker for alleged gross misconduct, called for his impeachment.
Mr Haruna Saidu, the Deputy Speaker, who presided over the house, directed the clerk to serve the speaker with the no confidence vote notice moved against him.
Saidu explained that the speaker had been given notice and the ultimatum to respond to the petition on or before May 30, but had to step down as the speaker in the meantime.
He further said that the impeachment would depend on his response to the notice served him.
Mr Aminu Barde, representing Kabusa ward, called on the house to strike out article B in the motion, which according to him, was strictly a party affair and should not be brought to the house.
Mr Isah Baushe, the Councillor representing Gwarinpa ward, said that the speaker should be given time to respond to the petition in writing before his the formal impeachment.
Baushe added that the petitioners should also provide evidence to back up their claims.
The petition reads: “abuse of office by taking unilateral decision without consulting this honorable chamber, which is tantamount to act of impunity and gross abuse of privilege.
“There was also an abuse of privilege by misinforming and misleading the honourable members to subconsciously disobey the party decision on state exco affirmation.
“This singular action has brought this honourable house to disrepute and ridicule.
“There was subversion of the legislative authority by unilaterally withdrawing an official communication from this chamber to the executive arm of the council without our collective consent.
“Desecrating the symbol of authority by removing and ordering mace to be deposited in an unconstitutional and unauthorised location,” it stated.
In his reaction, the speaker said that he had not done anything wrong and would answer any question brought to him.
“I know myself, I have not done anything wrong, I’ll answer them,” he said.
The glass door to the chamber was completely broken during the fracas that ensued at the chamber, following the event.
The lawmakers resorted to the use of the old broken mace to conduct the business of the day.
Some of the lawmakers, however, expressed happiness to the happening at the chamber, saying the crisis would allow members to sit up for serious legislative business.
Meanwhile, the Police in Gombe State, on Friday, said they had recovered the Mace of the House of Assembly, forcefully taken away in a scuffle by some members during plenary on Thursday.
Commissioner of Police, Mr Shina Olukolu, told newsmen in Gombe that the mace was found around National Industrial Court in the state capital in the early hours of Friday.
The mace, the symbol of authority of the legislature, was said to have been whisked away by some aggrieved members of the Assembly after a failed attempt to change their leadership.
“You will recall that yesterday, May 24, at about 1.30 p.m. the mace, the symbol of authority of Gombe State House of Assembly, was taken away by a honourable member of the house in company of others.
“The incident was allegedly occasioned by the dispute over leadership change of minority principal officers of the house.
“On receipt of the information, the Commissioner of Police visited the scene and heightened the security architecture already in place in the command based on the directives of the Inspector-General of Police.
“The pressure made them consequently to abandon the mace by the National Industrial Court in the state and it was recovered early on Friday.
“The mace is, therefore, today being handed over to the Speaker for his retention and use,’’ he said.
Receiving the mace from the police, the Speaker, Alhaji Nasiru Nono, commended the police and other security agencies in the state for the proactive steps they took, which led to the recovery of the mace.
Nono said the mace was taken by one of the APC members during plenary on Thursday.