- Lawmaker escapes with bruises
Angry constituents on Saturday stoned a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Garba Hamman Julde, for his alleged non-performance in the lower chamber of the National Assembly in the past two years.
Julde currently representing Bali-Gassol Federal Constituency of Taraba State, was pelted by the constituents with stones, sachet water and other missiles by the angry residents of Bali town.
Citing failed representation and abandonment of his constituents for more than two years, the constituents vent their anger after the lawmaker presented 11 motorcycles and one car to ward executives and local government chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Bali Local Government Area of the state.
An eye witness told reporters that the lawmaker escaped with minor bruises before he was whisked away by policemen on duty at the venue of the event, which held in Central Primary School, Bali.
The eye witness, Musa Sandirde, said, “Trouble started after he ended his speech at the rostrum and was making his way to present the keys of the motorcycles to the beneficiaries. There and then, some youths started chanting ‘Ba mu so!’ in Hausa, while at the same time throwing sand, stones and sachets of pure water at him. Police then quickly intervened and moved him to safety.”
He added that the constituents expressed their displeasure at the manner of Julde’s representation and vowed to ensure he did not return to the parliament again in 2019.
Corroborating Sandirde, a member of the APC executive in Bali LGA, Ibrahim Daka, added, “He (Julde) has completely abandoned the people that sent him to Abuja. For more than two years, he went missing, only for him to show up this weekend to say he was presenting eleven motorcycles and one car to ward and LGA party chairmen.
“He did that because election is here and they are the people who will serve as delegates to elect party flag bearers again. But the people he abandoned turned against him and showed their anger. How can you abandon the people and come here to give bicycles to a few people?
“We are not happy with him and we have made our position clear to him.”
Our correspondent gathered that the embattled lawmaker had already shelved his earlier plan to hold similar exercise in Mutum Biyu, Gassol Local Government Area of the state, for fear of a possible attack on him and a breakdown of law and order.
Efforts to speak with Julde and his legislative aides proved abortive as none of them responded to calls
or text messages sent to their phones.
