Kogi’s Confluence of Crisis

Bello (r) with Kogi APC chairman, Alhaji Hadi Ametuo

The leadership crisis which has engulfed the Kogi State House of Assembly is yet to abate as the Speaker, Hon. Momohjimoh Lawal, is pointing fingers at Governor Yahaya Bello as the brain behind his woes, writes Yekini Jimoh

The recent leadership crisis in the Kogi State House of Assembly is giving some political stakeholders a cause for concern. Some political analysts, who spoke on the crisis in the assembly, alleged that the government is fueling it just as the embattled speaker, Hon. Momohjimoh Lawal, has accused Governor Yahaya Bello as the brain behind the whole crisis.

It was gathered that the governor and the speaker are kinsmen from the same senatorial district and therefore, it behooved the speaker to resign and have it zoned to Kogi West senatorial district. Some few weeks back, it was alleged that the embattled Speaker held a closed-door meeting with the governor over his replacement with one of the seven members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

A source alleged that the governor gave the speaker N50 million and N7.5 million each to other PDP members to support Hon. Ahmed Imam Umar of Lokoja 1 constituency.  But when contacted, the speaker denied ever collecting money from the governor for himself or for his members.

Also reacting to the bribe allegation, Bello said he was not interfering in the affairs of the assembly. As a result, the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) quickly summoned PDP members in the assembly to Abuja for emergency meeting, where it ordered that its members should maintain the status quo.

They wondered how APC with Five members took over the leadership of the House from PDP with 14 members. Barely a week after, the situation took a different dimension when five members of the state assembly mainly members of All Progressives Congress (APC) led by PDP member in the House, Hon Friday Sani, allegedly impeached the speaker.

THISDAY gathered that prior to the impeachment, the five lawmakers of the APC including Sani allegedly held meeting with the deputy governor, Hon. Simon Achuba in his office, where the plan was allegedly hatched. It was also alleged that each member of Sani's group got N10 million from the state government to execute the project even though the group debunk the allegation.

According to sources, the purported impeachment did not take place in the chamber of the state assembly, but the office of Sani, who is the Chief Whip. On the day of the phantom impeachment, journalists were barred from covering the proceeding as security men ordered them to wait outside until the end of the sitting.

However, addressing newsmen after, leader of the five assembly members, Sanni said the impeached speaker has not demonstrated capacity to lead the house. According to him, the assembly cannot be led by anyone as a soul enterprise with all house rules ignored and the house remained closed perpetually.

He said the house has followed due process to remove the speaker, saying that fifteen members signed the impeachment notice, only seven members was required to form quorum to remove the principal officers.

"With the court of Appeal ruling which sacked five of our members, reducing it to 20, only seven members are required to form quorum and we have more than that," he said.

Sani said the house has for some time remained closed and inactive following the ineptitude of its leadership, saying the replacement was occasioned for improved productivity, unity and togetherness.

Lawal, while reacting to his impeachment and other principal officers that were loyal to him, said he still remained the speaker, declaring his impeachment as null and void. He also alleged Governor Bello wanted him out as speaker at all cost and replace him with APC that is minority in the house.

Some political stakeholders are of the view that if there is need for new speaker from Kogi West, it shouldn't be APC that is a minority but rather, the PDP that is in majority. Thus, according to the speaker, fifteen out of the 20 members of the house passed a vote of confidence in him, stressing that the purported impeachment could not stand.

THISDAY findings revealed that immediately after the impeachment, the embattled speaker headed to Abuja with his 14 other colleagues to seek the intervention of the national leadership of their party. It was gathered that while in Abuja, the speaker met with national officers of the PDP, where he informed them of the development in the state.

The speaker and 14 others also recently presented a petition to the Speaker of House of Representative, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, seeking their quick intervention in the matter. Sources however hinted THISDAY that the most disturbing issue was the role said to have been played by Sani, a PDP member who had been the major back bone of the speaker.

Already, fully armed Mobile Police men, members of Department of State Security Service and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) had taken over the assembly premises. One of the Police senior officers (name withheld), who spoke to THISDAY, said the taking over of the state assembly complex was a directive from the above.
Reacting to the development, the Kogi State Government has categorically denied ever interfering in the assembly matters. A statement issued by the governor's Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Alhaji Abdulkarim Abdulmalik, read states: "The attention of the Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has been drawn to the spurious allegations by some group of legislators in the legislative arm of Kogi State to the effect that the governor was the person stoking crisis in the Assembly.

"The governor wishes to inform the general public that he has never interfered in the affairs of the state legislature in line with his determination to promote the rule of law and strict adherence to separations of power. To drag the name of the governor to the crisis in the Kogi State House of Assembly is in the least, uncharitable. The crisis in the House of Assembly predates the present administration in the state," the statement read.

The government noted that before the advent of the present administration, the assembly crisis had assumed a violent dimension, where vehicles belonging to the different caucuses in the House were vandalised. The government therefore urged all the aggrieved parties in the assembly to close ranks and work in unity for the progress of the state. Government also accused Hon. James Faleke of playing politics with the crisis in the assembly.

"We are aware some people have threatened to make Kogi State ungovernable if they are not allowed to take over the state. What all Kogi people should be concerned about now is how to ensure unity and save the state from its battered state.

"Faleke should stop painting a gory image of Kogi State in order to score cheap political points. Governor Yahaya Bello does not know about the crisis and would not meddle in the affairs of the legislature.

"Members of the Kogi State House of Assembly are great men with capacity to resolve their differences in order to move the state forward. It is clear that some disgruntled elements are scared of the immense achievements of the Governor since assuming office. Those collaborating to run this state down will soon discover the futility of their ignominy."

He also pledged to continue to collaborate with the legislature to actualise his dream of a better Kogi State.

With the present political crisis going on in the state, it is a pity that the masses will be at the receiving end as the 2016 budget presented to the House by the immediate past governor, Captain Idris Wada, is yet to receive attention as a result of series of crisis. The people of Kogi are only hoping that Governor Bello would concentrate more on the governance of the state than being entangled in the web of crises.