Kogi House crisis: Reps question Malami’s grasp of the Constitution

The House of Representatives on Tuesday ordered the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami, to appear before it to explain his role in the crisis rocking the Kogi State House of Assembly.

The also questioned the minister’s understanding of the law, especially the 1999 Constitution.

He is billed to appear before a 22-member ad hoc committee of the House headed by Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila.

Also invited to appear before the committee is the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase.

It would be recalled that the House had on March 9, invoked Section 11(4) of the 1999 Constitution by taking over the affairs of the Kogi State House of Assembly after five of the 25-member legislature ‘impeached’ the Speaker, Mr. Momoh Jimoh-Lawal. The action of the House was also endorsed by the Senate. The National Assembly also directed Arase to seal off the assembly complex.

However, the AGF, asked the IGP to ignore the resolution of the lawmakers by unsealing the assembly.

The attention of the House was drawn to Malami’s action by Hon. Mr. Nicholas Osai, PDP, Delta State, claiming the AGF had said the action of the National Assembly was illegal and unwarranted.

Read also: Kogi Assembly Crisis: Speaker, nine others suspended

Osai said: “this is an affront on the powers of the National Assembly as a separate arm of government.

“The legislature must rise in this case to protect its rights.”

In his own contribution, Gbajabiamila, said he could not believe that Malami, a lawyer, wrote such a letter.

“I believe that he is wrong. Section 11(4) says once a state assembly is unable to function, the National Assembly takes over (its functions).

“Section 11(4) gives the National Assembly express powers and this is not ambiguous in any way. It doesn’t require much energy to interpret the section.

“The AGF is completely wrong by asking the IGP to open the gates of  the assembly for five out of 20 members to sit and conduct legislative business.”

Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, a lawyer, also told members that he had yet to come to terms with the content of Malami’s letter.

He said this had forced him to doubt whether the AGF indeed authored the letter.

An APC member from Kano State, Mr. Aliyu Madaki, said “The AGF should go and read his books very well”.

The Gbajabiamila-led 22-member panel was given two weeks to complete the assignment

 

 

 

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