Lafia Legislative Arm suspends acting Chairman in dramatic twist
By Faith AM
The political drama gripping Lafia Local Government Area (LGA) of Nasarawa on Tuesday escalated dramatically as the Legislative Arm suspended Uba Arikya, the Deputy Chairman and currently the Acting Chairman of the council, for three months over allegations of lying on oath and abuse of office.
The suspension was announced by Shu’abu Abba, the current Acting Speaker of the Legislative Arm, following an emergency meeting in Lafia.
The latest move further destabilises the council leadership, which has seen a cascade of suspensions in recent weeks.
Mr. Abba himself recently took on the role of Acting Speaker following the earlier suspension of the substantive Speaker, Mohammed Shu’abu-Madaki, also for alleged abuse of office.
The crisis deepened when the Nasarawa State House of Assembly intervened and suspended the substantive Council Chairman, Mohamed Haliru-Arabo, for three months.
According to the report, the Chairman was accused of sponsoring the crisis within the legislative arm, and the Deputy Chairman, Uba Arikya, was directed to take over as Acting Chairman.
In a remarkable turn of events, the Legislative Arm, now led by the Acting Speaker, reconvened and promptly suspended the very official installed to stabilise the council.
Following Arikya’s suspension, the Deputy Speaker, Shu’abu Abba, who holds the title of Acting Speaker, declared that he is now the Acting Chairman of Lafia LGA. “I am the number four in the hierarchy of the council, and I am the Acting Chairman since the other three are now on suspension,” he stated, asserting his claim to the top executive role in the absence of the substantive Chairman, Deputy Chairman, and the Substantive Speaker.
The series of suspensions leaves the leadership of Lafia LGA in a state of flux, with the Acting Speaker now concurrently occupying the highest executive position in the council.
Meanwhile, political analysts in the State suggest the situation is unprecedented and signals a deepening rift within the LGA’s political structure.
