GETTING IT RIGTH IN THE KOGI STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY

Rt Hon Umar Ahmed Imam, Speaker Kogi State House of Assembly 

Often time people are at deficit with facts, when they do not do proper and in-depth investigation of situations on ground, disconnected from facts, brewing contents of discord and fanning embers of



discord within the polity. Without doubt, Kogi State house of assembly made more headlines in the past few weeks than Mr. President himself. The Kogi House of Assembly impasse brought myriads of imbroglio to the state in general. Bills are not passed, sessions are not held, No thank to some miscreant who by faux pas find themselves in the distinguished hallowed house, throwing sanity and common sense into the dustbin and hell bent on kidnapping power by force. Marauders that they are, they are raping the people of their rights, not minding whose ox is gored. What a selfish act of wickedness.

The question is why would our people’s idiosyncrasy for power in Africa be rapacious? Why would any supposedly sane and politically educated personality want to defy the logic of equity fairness and Justice as entrenched in the Federal Character, for ego and selfish motives? It is absurd. Federal Character states that appointments into political offices should be balanced, to guide against stirring up mistrust, resulting from fear of domina­tion among ethic divides. It is therefore wrong to have a sitting governor from the central senatorial district, a speaker from same district, while the chief Judge comes from same place. Even an unlettered man would know with the use of common sense that it is immoral and unethical. Those who enshrined the principle of Federal character in the nation’s constitution took into con­sideration our peculiar na­ture as far as ethnic issues are concerned.

The story of five (5) impeaching the former speaker is an unmitigated illogical nonsense, unfounded, not true and miles apart from the poles of truth. It’s a mere rouse to work on the sensibility of gullible minds. It failed from inception though. With the new government of Alhaji Yahaya Bello in place, there was a need to spread power to all ethnic component of the state, so all will have a sense of belonging. This was agreed upon with the former speaker, Hon Momoh Jimoh . He agreed to resign, signatures were collected, he also signed and the present speaker, Hon Ahmed Umar Alfa read the motion (which he Hon Momoh Jimoh signed) on the floor of the house. Prior to this development, the former speaker had walked the present speaker though the rudiments of speaker-ship and has started introducing him and of cause people and entities have started gallivanting and gyrating around the new “speaker-to-be” . What happened thereafter was PDP abracadabra and fictional movie, best watched with arms akimbo, mouth open with saliva dripping. Nobody or group is bigger than the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

It is based on the aforementioned that, right thinking persons and political office holders are already disassociating themselves from the former speaker’s impunity and subversion to democratic ethos and norms and paying solidarity visits to the new speaker. Outrageous as it may seem, the first set of political office holders who came on this onerous visit are Okehi LGA legislature (From where the former speaker hails from) led by the council leader, Hon Aliyu Ozigi. Ozigi prayed that God will help the speaker in the discharge of his duties. In his response, the reiterated that the state has suffered severe deficit from past administration but it is obvious within the past 30 days that there is certainly a new direction and wind of change is blowing through the land. He assured them that, the house would reconvene soonest and the budget would pass the second reading and they would also fast track all pending bills before the house,

On the 2nd of March, the house reconvened as promised by the Rt Hon Speaker, with more legislatures in attendance. At this sitting three new members of the house were sworn in by the clerk of the house. Thereafter, the house adjourned and reconvened on the 7th of March 2016 and 10th of March respectively, with yet newer set of legislatures in attendance. What this portend is that, by the next sitting of the house, over 80% of legislatures would be in attendance at the sitting of the house, the question one then beg to ask is, why is the house of Representative hell bent on truncating the peace that is steadily returning to the house by wanting to take over its proceedings?

According to the constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria, Section 11(4&5)) which addressed the issues and concerns from the House of Representatives in respect of Kogi State House of Assembly. Subsection 5 of the said Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended to wit: "For the purposes of subsection(4) of this Section, a House of Assembly shall not be deemed to be unable to perform it functions so long as the House of Assembly can hold a Meeting and transact business." Therefore, the House, in requirement of this subsection holds its meetings and transacts its businesses as witnessed in the last two weeks. The House was in session last week and this week, to issue proclamation adjourning it's sitting to Thursday (10th) this week, a development that has eluded the house under the leadership of Hon. Momoh Jimoh. So it would be a flagrant disregard for the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the house of Representative to want to tow the line of disunity and dishonour, as the house have resolved to take the matter to the court of law. This is not what is needed in Kogi state at the moment, the house of Rep should have explored all options, leaving no stone unturned, so as to bring respite to the house through dialogue. What are the possibilities that taking over the house would bring about much needed decorum in the house? Any further elongated process is unacceptable.  

Williams Charles Oluwatoyin

Political Critique and Social Commentator

Writes from Lokoja