Politics

Kogi Assembly Crisis: Speaker, nine others suspended

Published

8 years ago

April 12, 2016

Soldiers take over Kogi Assembly, bar lawmakers

The crisis rocking the Kogi State House of Assembly continued on Tuesday, as nine members of the House loyal to factional speaker, Hon. Umar Imam, suspended 10 members, including the embattled speaker, Hon. Momoh Jimoh Lawal, for their alleged involvement in the leadership crisis rocking the legislative chambers since November, last year.

The suspension order was issued on the floor of the assembly at plenary on Tuesday after the adoption of a report of the ad-hoc committee commissioned on March 10.

The House had mandated the committee to investigate “the sponsorship of the crisis and involvement of the National Assembly and its failure to ensure due process even at the instance of a court injunction”.

Chairman of the committee, Hon. John Abah (PDP-Ibaji), who presented the report, said the committee found that the House of Representatives was misguided by ”interested members who had an interest in the crisis”, adding that the situation in the state had not deteriorated into a breakdown of law and order for the National Assembly to exercise its powers in invoking section 11(4), and leaving out the provision of 11 (5) of the Constitution.

He said: “The 10 members had persistently fuelled the crisis and made it extremely difficult for the house to resolve the leadership impasse peacefully for the house to carry out its lawful and constitutional responsibilities”.

The committee, according Abah, recommended that House allow all legal processes instituted in various courts to be conclusively determined to ensure due process, rule of law and justice to all parties.

Those suspended alongside Momoh Jimoh are Matthew Kolawole (PDP-Kabba-Bunu), Aliyu Akuh (PDP-Omala), Victor Omofaiye (PDP-Ijumu) and Sunday Shigaba (PDP-Bassa).

Others are Alfa Momoh-Rabiu (APC-Ankpa II), Enenche Linus (APC-Olamaboro), Obaro Pedro (APC-Mopa-Muro), Ndako Idris (APC-Lokoja II) and Zakari Osewu (APC-Kogi-KK).

The motion for the adoption of the report was seconded by the factional Majority Leader, Friday Sanni (PDP-Igalamela-Odolu), who urged the house to adopt the three recommendations of the committee.

The factional speaker, Umar Imam in his ruling, adopted the recommendations as prayed following a voice vote in favour of the report.

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now