Adamawa lawmakers boycott town hall meeting

Activist blames N’Assembly over poor, controversial judgments

Adamawa State lawmakers on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have boycotted a town hall meeting organised by Jimeta Progressives Association (JIPA).

The lawmakers’ action was a protest against Governor Umaru Jibrilla Bindow’s alleged mismanagement of funds and non-payment of workers’ salaries.

The association had at the weekend invited Senator Abdul-Azeez Nyako of Adamawa Central Senatorial District, Lawal Abubakar Garba representing Yola North/Yola South/Girei Federal Constituency and Sulaiman Alkali representing Yola North constituency in the state assembly.

The lawmakers, however, sent representatives to the gathering reeling out their claimed achievements, a development many people that graced the occasion described as bad precedent.

“I believe if this is a solidarity rally or 2019 endorsement rally, they would have been here physically,” one Baba Yakub who witnessed the meeting told newsmen.

Yakub said elected office holders must change their attitude to the electorate by treating them with some respect, pointing out that if Abdulazeez and Garba who are based in Abuja could be excused for missing the event, what reason could Alkali who is based in Yola give.

President of JIPA, Jafaru Baba Girei, said the essence of the town hall meeting was not to ridicule anybody but to create a platform that would enable the electorate have access to first-hand information in respect of activities and other development strides made by the elected legislators.

A female legal activist, Hasfat Abdullahi, in her presentation, blamed the National Assembly over some poor and controversial judgments in the country.

She accused the National Assembly members of abandoning their constitutional duties of making laws and concentrating on constituency projects.

Abdullahi said that the issue of constituency projects violates Section (1) of the constitution and that the lawmakers have only supervising powers. Therefore, they cannot carry out projects based on the provisions of the constitution, he stressed.

Her words:“The constitution empowered lawmakers to supervised executive arm of government and also investigate their activities, so if lawmakers embark on projects, who will supervise those projects”.