Kogi lawmakers’ faction defies Reps

[DT]

A faction of the Kogi State House of Assembly yesterday announced the suspension of two members who are supporting ousted speaker Abdullahi Bello, in defiance of the stay-of-action order given by the House of Representatives.  

The faction said the suspension was because the two lawmakers defected from their original party All Nigeria Peoples Party to the ruling PDP even though there was no crisis in the ANPP.  

But in a swift reaction, Mr Henry Ojuola from Mopa Muro constituency and Mr Funsho Daniel from Yagba East constituency dismissed their suspension as null and void because it was in breach of legislative procedure.

In a statement, the faction of the state assembly led by new speaker Momoh Lawal Jimoh said the two legislators were suspended because of a petition from the ANPP, the party on whose platform they were first elected.

The statement was emailed from an email account of a Kogi State Government official, raising questions on Governor Idris Wada's neutrality in the house of assembly leadership crisis.

Speaker Jimoh, according to the statement, told the house at a sitting that about two months ago the former leadership of the assembly under ousted speaker Bello had been informed by the ANPP leadership about the defection.

He said the ANPP letter dated 20 October, signed by party chairman Patrick Daudu and secretary Issac Ainoko, said they wanted the two seats declared vacant because the defection violated section 109 (1)(g) of the Constitution.

"The fact (is) that there was no record of division or merger with the later parties the members under reference choose to belong under the provision of section 109(109)(g) of the Nigerian constitution," the letter said.

Ojuola was elected on the platform of the ANPP but served as running mate for the Action Congress of Nigeria governorship candidate, while Daniel defected to the PDP in September.

A 3-member ad hoc committee was constituted to investigate the ANPP petition.

The statement said Tuesday's session was held in the presence of the Clerk of the House of Assembly as well as the Sergent-at-Arms.

The lawmakers also condemned the Kogi State Police Commissioner for the police blockade of the assembly premises adding that they will file a report to the Inspector General of Police.

In his reaction, Ojuola said the group who claimed to have suspended him was grounded in "illegality and legislative rascality", saying that as a lawyer he has done what he should do on the issue of defection.

He said they are acting in disobedience of the directive of the House of Representative which ordered all parties in the crisis to suspend all action.

He said the purported suspension was plotted by the Peoples Democratic Party in the state because of his refusal to be part of the removal of Abdullahi Bello as speaker of the house.

For his part, Daniel said the suspension was the height of "irresponsibility."

He said if somebody is going to be disciplined for whatever reason, such person should be invited to state their side.

He said what the faction did was "laziness and incapacity" meant to serve the "whims and caprices of their master."

He added the factional lawmakers were merely making themselves a laughing stock because they have been acting in breach of legislative procedure.

Daily Trust

[Nifemi Donald]

More of this kind of people need to be suspended.They are Nigeria's enemy