Twist As Kogi Assembly Speaker Debunks Being Impeached

…Three Members Lose Appeal

THREE members of the Kogi State House of Assembly who participated in the ‘inconclusive’ impeachment of the Speaker of the Assembly have lost their appeal at the Appeal Court, Abuja Division, yesterday.

The members include Moses Idakwo (Dekina 1 state constituency), Ukwubile Ochijenu (Idah state constituency) who moved the impeachment motion, and Abdulmumuni Ibrahim (Ankpa 1 state constituency).

By the ruling, the three members have lost their seats pending the re-run election in 90 days as ordered by the court.
The ruling has further depleted the number of those that ‘attempted’ to remove the Speaker.

The Speaker, Alhaji Momoh-Jimoh Lawal, his deputy, Aliyu Aku and Minority Leader, Hassan Bello were reportedly removed by 17 out of 25 members of the Assembly on Thursday.

The members while addressing the media at the NUJ Press Centre said the Speaker was incompetent to lead the 6th Assembly, adding that he betrayed the members of the House.

However, the Speaker who addressed the media shortly after the new broke that he had been impeached described it as an inconclusive attempt that was stopped by his allies.

He said he adjourned sitting till February 2, 2016, because of the rowdy session of the House.

“The ill motivated attempt to hijack the leadership of the Kogi State House of Assembly by some few members is unpatriotic and at variance with legislative principles and practices the world over.”

The embattled speaker advised the estranged members to put Kogi first before their inordinate and selfish ambition.

He noted that what they did was unfounded and could not hold water because the rules and procedures were not followed.

Lawal urged the people of the state to discountenance the alleged impeachment of his leadership, saying it was effectively stopped by patriotic members of the House that believe in the corporate existence of the state rather than their parochial interest.

Meanwhile, a member of the House, Umar Ahmed Imam, representing Lokoja 1 constituency, who was said to have signed for the impeachment, has said that he was not a party to the impeachment plot, noting that his signature must have been forged.

“I was not part of the plan and I am not a signatory to their impeachment. I align with the leadership; I have complete confidence in his leadership.”

Also, the Chief Whip of the House, Elder Friday Makama yesterday said the information that the Speaker was impeached was misleading.

He said there were procedures that must be respected, noting that the rule of law and the procedures permit that as soon as the signatures are collated, the Clerk will take possession of the list to authenticate the signatures.