The Senators representing Adamawa South and Gombe South at the National Assembly on Wednesday stopped short of verbal exchanges as the Senate debated a motion for an “Urgent Call for a Stop to the Communal Clashes between Waja and Lugunda Communities in Gombe South and Adamawa South senatorial districts respectively.
Dauda Yaroe (PDP Adamawa South) and Danjuma Goje (APC Gombe Central) had disagreed on way out of the communal clashes between the two ethnic groups in the Southern axis of the two states.
Presenting the motion, Senator Yaroe had called on the Senate to send delegation to the two communities in Balanga LGA, Gombe State and Guyuk LGA in Adamawa State, with the sole aim of preaching peaceful co-existence to people of the warring communities.
He also urged the Upper chamber of the National Assembly to ask the traditional rulers of Waja Chiefdom in Gombe State and Lugunda Chiefdom in Adamawa State to employ their subjects to maintain the peace and avoid self-help in settling disputes.
The motion was seconded by Senator Danjuma Goje who turned around to puncture it by declaring that it is not a delegation from the Senate that should go to the areas but Governors of the affected states .
He said that the Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, had visited the affected communities in Gombe State and restored peace .
” On our part in Gombe State , no problem from any of the affected communities as the trouble shooting Governor , had visited the area and restored peace .
“However, such peace promoting visitation expected from the Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umar Fintiri, has not been carried out by him.
” So, instead of calling on Senate delegation to visit the warring communities, the resolution should be on the Adamawa State Governor to visit the affected communities in his own State “, he said.
Though the President of the Senate in a mild intervention, said rather than calling on governors to visit the warring communities, political and traditional leaders in the affected areas, should be called upon to work for peace in the affected areas.
Angered by Goje’s submission, Senator Yaroe in a media briefing after the plenary said Goje got it wrong by alleging that the Adamawa State Governor had not visited the affected communities in Adamawa State.
“I was taken aback by submissions made by Senator Danjuma Goje on the motion I sponsored and which he seconded.
Governor Fintiri had visited the affected communities in Guyuk LGA of Adamawa State and to a very great extent, restored peace in the area.
I felt belittled by Goje’s submission, alleging that the Adamawa State Governor had not made the right move towards restoring peace in the affected communities.How could somebody who seconded a motion, turn around to be puncturing it. As Gombe people are peace loving, so also are the Adamawa People “, he said
