Nasarawa Speaker Jatau, Former Speaker Balarabe Hold Closed-Door Meeting
By Suleiman Abubakar Rimi Uku
The Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Danladi Jatau, Ph.D., has held a closed-door meeting with his immediate predecessor, Rt. Hon. Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, in Lafia, the state capital.
The meeting took place on Saturday at the Lafia residence of Speaker Jatau in the Project Quarters, where Balarabe Abdullahi, who is currently the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Federal Polytechnic, Damaturu, Yobe State, paid a visit to his successor.
Although details of the meeting were not officially disclosed, sources said discussions centred on the Nasarawa State House of Assembly as an institution, the unity and development of the state, the 2027 political landscape and other issues of mutual interest.
The meeting is considered significant coming at a time when political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections are gradually gathering momentum across the state.
Both Jatau and Balarabe Abdullahi hail from the Western Zone of Nasarawa State, with Jatau representing Kokona West State Constituency and Balarabe Abdullahi coming from Toto Local Government Area.
Jatau, who is the immediate successor to Balarabe Abdullahi as Speaker, is serving his third term as a member of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly. Before becoming Speaker, he served as Speaker of the Kokona Local Government Legislative Council, Chairman of Agwada Development Area and held other political appointments.
Balarabe Abdullahi served as Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly for about eight and a half years, covering the Fifth and Sixth Assemblies and part of the Seventh Assembly between 2015 and 2023.
The former Speaker is also the current Chairman of the Governing Council of the Federal Polytechnic, Damaturu.
The meeting between the two former and current presiding officers of the Assembly also comes nearly six weeks after Balarabe Abdullahi reportedly met with the State Accountant-General and former Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Dr. Musa Ahmed Muhammad, Baraden Nasarawa.
The latest engagement between Jatau and Balarabe Abdullahi is expected to further strengthen consultations among political and legislative stakeholders on issues concerning the Assembly, state development and the political future of Nasarawa State.
