Rumpus in Kogi State Assembly

The leadership crisis that has engulfed the Kogi State House of Assembly for four months now taken a turn for the worse as a faction of the legislators otherwise known as G-5 has continued to sit in open defiance of the National Assembly, which passed a resolution taking over the Kogi State Assembly’s functions. The […]

The leadership crisis that has engulfed the Kogi State House of Assembly for four months now taken a turn for the worse as a faction of the legislators otherwise known as G-5 has continued to sit in open defiance of the National Assembly, which passed a resolution taking over the Kogi State Assembly’s functions. The latest power tussle in the assembly began shortly after the governorship re-run elections last December and reached a crescendo on February 16 when five members of the house “impeached” Speaker Mr. Momoh Jimoh-Lawal and “elected” Umar Imam in his stead. The remaining 15 members kicked against the deed and insisted that Jimoh-Lawal remains their speaker.
When fully constituted the Kogi assembly has 25 members but at the time Jimoh-Lawal was ‘removed’ it had 20, the other five having been sacked by election tribunals. Following the ensuing logjam, the House of Representatives announced on March 9 that it had taken over the functions of the Kogi Assembly and directed Inspector-General of Police Solomon Arase to seal off the Assembly complex. This followed the recommendations of a 10-member investigative panel chaired by House deputy whip Mr. Pally Iriase which described Jimoh-Lawal’s ‘impeachment’ as “unconstitutional, null and void.”
The green chamber invoked Section 11 (4) of the Constitution (as amended) which empowers the National Assembly to take over the duties of any state assembly that is in disarray. The Senate later endorsed this action. Still, reports indicated that factional speaker Imam and his G-5 have defied the National Assembly and continue to sit, first at the Government House, Lokoja and then at other venues. The faction is reported to have taken a second reading of the state’s 2016 budget.
Critics have accused Governor Yahaya Bello of being the master mind of the assembly crisis, of backing a minority faction to stymie the majority and of interference, impunity and disregard for due process and rule of law in administering the state. Although he denies these charges, Bello’s public stance on the matter lends credence to the allegations.  He was recently reported as saying there is no leadership tussle in the assembly. He said, “My house (of assembly) is sitting and we have absolute peace in Kogi State. I am not aware that the National Assembly is supposed to have taken over the state assembly … I have a speaker that is sitting right now so I don’t know if there is any problem there.”
This is proof enough that the governor is complicit in the illegal actions of the G-5. His apparent motive is to remove Speaker Jimoh-Lawal who, like himself is from Kogi West senatorial district in order to “balance” political power in the state. The circumstances that made for Bello’s emergence as governor were unusual and there were bound to be some problems with zoning and balancing of offices in the immediate aftermath. While it is good to balance power between the three senatorial zones in a state such as Kogi with a volatile ethnic mix, this must not be done at the expense of the law, decorum and propriety. The law must not be trampled upon and decorum must not be thrown to the wind in order to achieve a political aim, however noble one thinks it is. Apart from the fact that Speaker Jimoh-Lawal’s so-called removal did not follow due process, the G-5 MPs also need to be reminded that there are a number of court judgments stating that a state assembly cannot conduct its duties outside its official address, the assembly complex.
For now, the police should enforce the National Assembly’s order to seal the state assembly complex. No one should breach the letter or spirit of this order by conniving and abetting the G-5 to “sit” in any other venue, including the Government House. Afterwards, elders in Kogi State should assist the youthful governor to find a peaceful, lawful and decorous resolution of this conundrum.