Travails of suspended Kwara lawmaker

Hon. Iliasu Ibrahim is a member of the Kwara State House of Assembly, representing the people of Ipaye/Moro/Olooru Constituency. Not only that, he is also a ranking legislator who was voted twice. Thus, he deserves to be respected and accorded privileges in the Assembly, going by the rules of the House.He headed strategic committees during […]

Hon. Iliasu Ibrahim is a member of the Kwara State House of Assembly, representing the people of Ipaye/Moro/Olooru Constituency. Not only that, he is also a ranking legislator who was voted twice. Thus, he deserves to be respected and accorded privileges in the Assembly, going by the rules of the House.
He headed strategic committees during his first term in the House and served as the majority leader in his second tenure.
Though his second term in the legislature has been consistently stormy, mainly because of his fearless attempt to challenge the status quo.
The harbinger of Ibrahim’s travails in the Assembly started in 2012 when he accused the speaker, Rt Hon Razaq Atunwa, of mismanaging resources of the Assembly and embezzling funds. The accusation generated attention in the state, forcing the speaker to clear himself of the allegations.
Afterwards, the Assembly raised a committee to probe the accusation, but the committee exonerated the speaker and recommended the suspension of the lawmaker for allegedly raising false alarm. The Assembly upheld the committee’s recommendation and directed the lawmaker to proceed on 3 months suspension without pay.
After the three months suspension, the lawmaker, for incurring the wrath Assembly’s leadership, was stripped of his position of majority leader.
However, when Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and his predecessor Senator Bukola Saraki dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013, Ibrahim decided to remain in the party, saying his loyalty remained with the PDP, and not any godfather.
He said: “I started PDP from day one, when it was established in Kwara State. So, I want to believe that I have a lot of stake in PDP, and I must not toy with the destiny of that party in Kwara State.” .
Again, he was suspended on December 13, 2014, when he was accused of threatening a colleague, Yusuf Tanke, via a text message. The Assembly’s committee on ethics, privileges and public petitions was directed to probe the allegation and, like the previous probe, he was found guilty and another 3 months suspension was slammed on him. Beside, the embattled lawmaker was asked to apologise in writing to Tanke as soon as he resumed from suspension, but he refused.
Consequently, his failure to apologise, as directed by the committee, earned him an indefinite suspension.
The Assembly decided that the lawmaker would remain on suspension until he complied with the directive to apologise to his colleague.
The embattled lawmaker then challenged his suspension before the High Court in Ilorin and the judgement was delivered in his favour.
Justice A.S Oyinloye in a June 13, 2014, judgement declared Ibrahim’s suspension as “unlawful, wrongful, illegal, unconstitutional, ultra vires, null and void and of no effect”. The court also directed the Assembly to pay the embattled lawmaker all his salaries and allowances.
However, the Assembly appealed the ruling at the Court of Appeal, where it also filed a motion for stay of execution of the earlier judgement delivered by the High Court. But the appellate court declined to grant the request for stay of execution.
Bolstered by this judgement, the embattled lawmaker attempted to resume at the Assembly twice, last week, but he was prevented from entering by security men at the entrance who said they had no order to allow him into the premises.
The events took place on Tuesday and Wednesday, last week. The lawmaker was barred from the complex by the security agents, allegedly acting on order from the speaker.
Speaking with our correspondent, the embattled lawmaker said the antics of the Assembly’s leadership, in connivance with some groups, was meant to perpetually keep him out of the legislature until his tenure expires next month.
He said that the Assembly owes him 22 months salaries, adding he was being persecuted for not defecting to APC.
Having made two unsuccessful attempts at resuming in the Assembly, the lawmaker said he would confer with his lawyers to take the next step. It was, however, gathered that a contempt proceeding may be instituted against the Assembly’s leadership for allegedly flouting court order.
As the lawmaker argued before security men at the gate of the Assembly, many of his colleagues drove past him, not caring to know what was happening.
When contacted, the deputy speaker of the House, Professor Mohammed Gana Yisa, who was the presiding officer following the absence of the speaker, said he was not aware of the court order lifting Ibrahim’s suspension, even though the embattled lawmaker said the Assembly has been properly served same. The deputy speaker said:  “As far as the House is concerned, he is still on suspension.”
Therefore, the question now remains, what is the way forward for the embattled lawmaker as the tenure of the current legislature winds down?