The lawmaker representing Jos East constituency, Abok Izam, has emerged the new Speaker of the ninth Plateau State House of Assembly. Izam, 33, elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) emerged Assembly Speaker in Jos on Monday following his nomination by Ibrahim Baba Hassan of Jos North-north constituency and seconded by Esther Simi Dusu of Jos Northwest constituency.
Saleh Yipmong of Dengi constituency was elected as deputy speaker. The Deputy Speaker’s nomination was moved by the lawmaker representing Langtang Central constituency, Daniel Nanbol of the PDP and was seconded by Nanlong Daniel who represents Mikang constituency.
A fresh member of the Plateau State House of Assembly representing Jos East, and a 500 level Law student of University of Jos, Abok, was born in 1986. He is a father of two and holds a diploma in Law. After Abok was nominated and seconded, he was given the opportunity to either accept or reject the nomination. The floor was then opened for other nominations. But there was no other nomination from the lawmakers and he was elected speaker unopposed.
He was then presented to the members and all unanimously voted for him without exception. It was like an arranged election where there was no dissenting voice at all.
Before the election, Baba Hassan had been touted as the likely Speaker because he is the oldest member in the house who has garnered sufficient experience to pilot the affairs of the House. But some intrigues soon came into play when Plateau factors were considered. Hassan is believed to be a settler and therefore could not occupy such sensitive position as number three citizen of the state.
Hassan is also believed to be carrying a baggage of forged certificate. A Federal High Court in Jos had ruled in a case brought before it against Hassan, that the lawmaker used a forged certificate to win election into the House in the eighth Assembly.
With these forces standing against him, the process for the emergence of Abok was believed to have been simply doctored to ensure that Hassan does not emerge as the speaker.
