TheCable

The attempt to allegedly impose Samuel, the younger brother of Dino Melaye, lawmaker representing Kogi west senatorial district, as chairman of the National Assembly Legislative Aides Forum (NASSLAF) is creating crisis in the forum.

The body comprises aides of senators and members of the house of representatives.

On Sunday, Darlington Udeh, a member of the forum, led a faction to the venue where Samuel was to be inaugurated as the head of NASSLAF.

Arguing that he was elected chairman of the forum, Udeh and his supporters disrupted the ceremony.

Yusuf Bamidele, spokesman of NASSLAF, said Samuel could not lead the body because he did not succeed in securing a ticket at his geo-political zone level.

Bamidele added that allowing the younger Melaye to chair the forum would amount to a violation of the zoning arrangement.

“Our elections and leadership are driven by zonal arrangements. The last administration of Mahmood Muhammed, who is now a member of the house of representatives, was from the north-central. By so doing, the north-central has had its shot and cannot come again,” he said in a statement.

“We have north-west, north-east, south-south, south-east and south-west, so we cannot allow a particular person or zone to shortchange us.”

In March, Salisu Maikashuwa, clerk of the national assembly, appointed the younger Melaye as chairman of a seven-member caretaker committee to run the affairs of the group for three months before organising a proper election.

This was as a result of the expiration of the tenure of Muhammed.