Kogi: Speaker sacked over Bello’s emergence

The political crisis in Kogi State may have started taking its toll on governance in the state, as the Speaker of state House of Assembly, Alhaji Momoh Jimoh-Lawal was Thursday impeached along with two other principal officers.

Jimoh-Lawal is from the Ebira speaking Central Senatorial district of the state, the same zone that produced the governor-elect, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.

Before the impeachment of the speaker, there had been concerns over the desirability of having the governor and the speaker of the House of Assembly from the same area.

Impeached alongside the Speaker were his deputy, Hon. Ali Akuh and minority leader, Hon. Hassan Bello.

Jimoh-Lawal was reportedly impeached over allegations of incompetence in the running of the affairs of the assembly.

Addressing pressmen in Lokoja, chairman of the House Committee on Information, Hon. John Abbah said the action of “17 members of the assembly to remove Jimoh-Lawal as speaker should not be seen as novel, but imperative, in view of the demand to remove the speaker before now.

According to him, there had been previous moves to remove Jimoh-Lawal as speaker, but that they have been managing him, stating that when the 17 members could no longer manage him and others, they had no option but to move against him.

Abbah, who was elected as the new deputy speaker, said that Jimoh-Lawal was impeached because of incompetence, greed and betrayal of members.

In place of Jimoh-Lawal, the lawmakers elected Hon. Godwin Osuyi and John Abbah as the new speaker and deputy speaker respectively while Hon. Eneche Ojochemenemi Linus became the new the minority leader.

The newly elected speaker, Godwin Osuyi however said the impeachment had nothing to do with the political situation in the state, pointing out that all the 25 assembly members are capable of being speaker of the house, and that if any is not competent, such can be removed.

He announced that the house has been adjourned to 16 December.

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