Al-Makura meets Jonathan, dismisses fresh impeachment plot SEPTEMBER 5, 2014 BY ADE ADESOMOJU, ABUJA Leave a Comment Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State on Friday met with President Goodluck Jonathan behind closed door at the Presidential Villa over the recent bloody clashes in the state. The governor dismissed fresh plot by the Nasarawa State House of Assembly to remove him from office after an impeachment panel exonerated him of the charges leveled against him by the state lawmakers. The governor, who spoke with state house correspondents after his meeting with Jonathan, described the alleged fresh moves by members of the state House of Assembly to impeach him as “speculative”. There have been insinuations that the President, who is of the Peoples Democratic Party, was behind the repeated plots to remove the governor, who is a member of the opposition All Progressives Congress. The governor, who refused to elaborate on the alleged fresh plot to remove him by the state legislators, said he would only act as events unfolded. “That (the alleged fresh impeachment plot) is within the realm of speculation. I don’t want to respond to speculation. But once we get to the bridge, we will cross it,” he said. The governor told journalists that his mission at the presidential villa was to update President Jonathan on the ethnic clashes in the state, while assuring that his administration would ensure that lasting peace was restored in the state. He said, “As you all know the President is the leader of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I have to come to update him on the situation in my state. “You are aware that we have faced some certain security challenges in my state, but by God’s grace we are on top of the situation. My purpose of visiting Mr. President is to give him update on what is happening in the state and I can assure you that things are calming down now, we are on top of the situation now.” He said in addition to ongoing police investigation on the clashes, his administration had set up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry and that part of the recommendations contained in the commission’s White Paper were already being implemented. He said, “Government has already gone a step further, by setting up a judicial commission of inquiry and the white paper is already out. Government has started implementing some aspects of the white paper, especially the administrative aspect that is within the responsibility of the government. “I’m very much aware that police are intensifying their investigations to bring offenders to book. It is the result of that investigation that facilitate proper prosecution of criminals to be brought to book. So you hear from us very soon. Meanwhile, the administrative implementation of the white paper is ongoing.” He said as another means of ensuring lasting peace in the state, the government recently organised peace summit involving various stakeholders and had also embarked on “community-based resolution mechanism”. He said, “We found it very necessary to invite all stakeholders for what we called peace summit, because we have come to realise that the issue of security should not be left in the hands of government, or security operatives alone.”
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 19:20:00 +0000
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