Mace theft again: FCT council's legislative arm mace missing

The mace of the legislative arm of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) is missing while part of the council’s chamber was destroyed after a tussle between the members on Thursday. AMAC is one of the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The missing mace brought to fore crisis that has enmeshed the council’s hallowed chamber after calls for the impeachment of the speaker, Daniel Shanyibwa Michael over gross misconduct. The Deputy Speaker, Haruna Musa Saidu alleged that the speaker and the sergeant at arms took the mace away from the chamber. “We have a meeting and the speaker pre-empted the house and took our mace, broke the door,” he said. “The mace we used in today’s sitting was a substitute because our sergeant at arms took the first mace to the house of the speaker. As we speak now our mace is either in the custody of the sergeant at arms or the speaker,” he said. The motion for the impeachment of the speaker was moved by the House Majority Leader, Yusuf Tahir Kadir during a sitting yesterday. Kadir said the speaker abused office by taking unilateral decision without consulting the members which he said was tantamount to impunity and gross abuse of privilege. Kadir in a copy of the petition made available to Daily Trust on Saturday said the speaker desecrate the symbol of the authority by ordering mace to be deposited in an unconstitutional and unauthorised location. The embattled speaker said he has not done anything wrong. “I know myself, I am a Christian and I have not done anything wrong. I will answer the petition from A to Z because I know that my heart is clear,” he said. Another member of the house’s chief whip representing Gwagwa Ward, Shuaibu Bello said the speaker’s know the allegations were true. “I am really happy with what happened today because if a leader is wrong from now they will take their lesson. Mr Speaker knows this is more than an allegation. He is my good those things are true, he made a serious mistake,” he said. Meanwhile the deputy speaker said the speaker has been served the motion for the impeachment and the house will wait for his response giving him fair hearing while the matter is being investigated. “He is still our speaker and if the majority says that he should be impeached, then he goes,” he said]]>