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Attempted Impeachment of Speaker Abok: A Dance of Shame – Chief Jerry D Gushop
Nothing short of crass illegality and loss of leadership sense on the part of the APC-led state government can best describe the events of recent weeks on the Plateau. In a society like Nigeria where democracy holds sway and is seen as the objective form of government that has the rule of law as its linchpin, a sect will choose a draconian style to see that its selfish agitation see the light of the day. Why the APC-led government on the Plateau against the voice of the people?
Plateau Speaker Abok Nuhu Ayuba
The blatant interest of the Executive Governor in recent days to have the people’s Speaker Rt. Hon. Ayuba Abok of the House of Assembly removed by 8 members in a house of 24 members is nothing but a naked dance of shame in the market of reason and the watering down of democracy. One wonders how the governor, being a lawyer and who claimed to have no hand in the charade yet was quick to receive and grant audience to the supposedly and illegally appointed speaker. This shows clearly that the governor’s hand is the spirit behind this illegality.
Plateau people would not have raised any concern if the purported impeachment was done in a manner known to the law. This is because the seat of the speaker is not a birthright; rather, it is a seat of privilege. The Governor who was once a speaker should have been the fore in the front seat refuting the ills and wrongs of a selected few. Posterity never grows old, it never fades with time, and it will certainly pay the Governor with the exact seeds of discord, hatred and illegality he has succeeded in sowing in the heart of Plateau people. Your failure will speak loud after your time; you will certainly dance your composed music.
Thus, the government should know that Rt. Hon. Ayuba Abok remains the authentic Speaker by law and in the court of public opinion. The withdrawal of his security details is surely an attempt to deliberately expose him to danger and to make him feel abandoned.
Let me at this moment call on the Executive Governor of Plateau State the Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong in the interest of Plateau state to restore normalcy to the Plateau State House of Assembly by recognizing Rt. Hon. Ayuba Abok as the Speaker, Plateau State House of Assembly not anybody else. We reject that illegality and will never accept that. Rt. Hon. Ayuba Abok is the Plateau peoples’ speaker; hence, he should be given all the support he needs except he is not with the people of Plateau which seems obvious. “I STAND WITH RT. HON. AYUBA ABOK”.
We demand that the House of Assembly be opened to allow the true people’s Speaker to preside over the affairs of the House for the good of Plateau state.
May I use this medium to commend the ingenuity and courage of critical Plateau stakeholders and quite a number of past and serving public figures too numerous to mention including our gallant youths across the state for courageously standing against APC-led governments gross ineptitude, executive recklessness and impunity. May our collective will towards a better and united Plateau remain unshakable till our altruistic dream for our dear state becomes a reality.
By
CHIEF JERRY D. GUSHOP MNIM, ARB1, CMC, FIMC, JP
Gushop media Team
The woman who tested positive for Ebola in Nigeria and was evacuated to Switzerland for treatment has been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery.
She was discharged from Geneva University Hospitals on Wednesday, after medical personnel confirmed her recovery, Reuters reported on Thursday, quoting a statement from the hospital.
“After the medical team confirmed her full recovery, the cantonal physician authorised the patient being treated for Ebola virus disease to leave the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) on 11 November 2026,” the hospital said.
The Uganda-born woman and her husband, a Swiss diplomat, were evacuated from Nigeria to Switzerland on 26 October. Her evacuation was confirmed by the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate.
The patient had returned to Abuja from Uganda on 3 October. She developed symptoms days later and was admitted to a private health facility before the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) was notified. Laboratory tests confirmed the infection on 20 October.
Nigeria continues Ebola surveillance
The NCDC’s latest Ebola situation dashboard, updated on 12 November with data as of 11 November, lists one confirmed case, no deaths and seven negative cases.
It also shows that 62 contacts linked to the confirmed case have been identified. Of these, 52 have completed their mandatory 21-day follow-up, while 10 remain under monitoring.
The NCDC said its response includes contact tracing, investigation of reported alerts, laboratory testing, infection prevention and control measures, and surveillance at the country’s points of entry.
On 11 November, NCDC disclosed that Nigeria recorded no additional confirmed Ebola cases since the imported infection was confirmed.
The agency has urged healthcare workers to remain vigilant, ask patients about their travel and exposure histories, and promptly report suspected cases to public health authorities.
READ ALSO: Ebola: Nigeria records no new cases 21 days after imported infection – NCDC
Regional outbreak continues
The situation in Nigeria is part of a wider outbreak of Bundibugyo virus disease affecting parts of Africa.
In its latest situation update published on 6 November, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the DRC had recorded 10,668 confirmed cases and 5,198 deaths as of 3 November, across 67 health zones in eight provinces.
Kenya had recorded nine confirmed cases and two deaths, while Nigeria had reported one imported case. WHO said there had been no new confirmed cases in Kenya or Nigeria since its previous update.
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‘INEC must explain why ADC judgment is being ignored’ — Atiku’s aide demands answers from Amupitan
Paul Ibe, media aide to the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Atiku Abubakar, has challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to explain why it has yet to clarify its position on a Federal High Court judgment upholding the David Mark-led ADC leadership, despite its assurance that it would obey court orders ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Ibe’s reaction followed INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan’s statement that the commission would comply with court decisions concerning Atiku’s participation in the 2027 presidential race.
In a statement on X, while describing obedience to court orders as a legal duty, Ibe argued that the chairman’s assurance left unanswered questions about a July 2, 2026 judgment delivered by Justice Musa Liman, which upheld the emergence of the David Mark-led ADC leadership.
He questioned whether the judgment had been set aside and demanded that INEC identify the specific orders it considers binding, particularly those affecting the ADC leadership and its candidates.
“INEC therefore owes Nigerians a clear explanation of how it intends to reconcile the two decisions—not merely a general declaration that it will obey the judiciary,” Ibe said.
He maintained that his demand was not for INEC to disregard any court ruling but for the commission to account for both judgments and leave any conflict between them to the appropriate appellate court.
Ibe warned against what he described as selective treatment of court decisions, insisting that judgments favourable to the opposition should receive the same consideration as those that do not.
“INEC must demonstrate that its guiding principle is the law—not the political convenience of the outcome,” he added.
‘INEC must explain why ADC judgment is being ignored’ — Atiku’s aide demands answers from Amupitan
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