Taraba embattled Speaker Abel Diah resign, first lady walks-out CAN leaders

To avoid impeachment hammer and political somersault ,the embattled Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, Peter Abel Diah, has finally  resigned his position, following weeks of political intrigues.

Mr. Diah who is representing Mbamga constituency for the fifth time is the longest-serving legislator in the house.

Confirming his resignation to journalists in Jalingo on Sunday, Mr Diah says he resigned for personal reasons.

He was elected the 8th speaker Taraba State House of Assembly following the inauguration of the eighth Assembly in June 2015 and was re-elected speaker in April 2016 after the declaration for a rerun election in his constituency by the court of Appeal sitting in Yola.

It was gathered that Diah had, until Sunday morning, been in control of 13 members, against Governor Darius Ishaku’s eleven.

Multiple sources in the Taraba Government House confided that N20m was paid to a lawmaker on Sunday to make up the number of 11 PDP lawmakers and that five APC members of the House were also lobbied to sign the impeachment of Mr. Diah.

Abel got into problem with Governor Ishaku following the removal of the erstwhile Deputy Speaker, Mohammed Gwampo.

First- lady walk out Christian leaders

Christian leaders from across Taraba State led by CAN Chairman Rev. Dr. Isaiah Magaji Jirapeh were on Sunday walked out of the government house by the wife of the state governor, Barr. Anna Ishaku, hurling insults on the men of God.

The Christian leaders were in government house to discuss the plot to impeach Abel Peter Diah before his resignation as speaker Sunday evening.

A pastor who was in the meeting said, ‘’ the first lady walked into the discussion and started shouting rudely to the Christian leaders asking us to leave the government house immediately. She said the Speaker has been giving her husband (the governor) sleepless nights because he didn’t want to leave the speakership.

‘’In the presence of the governor, the first lady walked out everybody in the meeting including leading ministers of the gospel across Taraba,  4 lawmakers from Wukari one and two; Takum one and two among others while the governor looks helplessly,’’ said the pastor.

Another eyewitness who confirm the incident said  that the christian leaders had earlier pleaded with the governor to give peace a chance and allow Abel retain his speakership.

”One of the Christian leaders knelt down and beg the governor, saying the Christian community would want him to forgive and forget whatever that must have happened and allow the speaker to continue in his office but the governor busted into tears saying if the Speaker does not resign, people will began to look at him as a weak governor because they have spent so much money and energy to remove the speaker so he must resigned,’’ said source.

The source said the Speaker consider the option of resigning to save the state from political destablization.

‘’ Abel just want peace, he resigned for peace, he was not forced to resign,’’ said one of the speaker ally.