From CHRISTIANA EKPA, Lokoja
The majority Leader of the Kogi House of Assembly, Friday Sani has accused the running mate of late Abubakar Audu, Hon Abiodun Faleke as being responsible for the crisis currently rocking the state legislative chamber.
Speaking at a plenary session in Lokoja in defiance of an earlier announcement by the House of Representatives taking over the function of the Kogi Assembly, Sani said the decision to invoke section 11 (4) of the 1999 Constitution, in spite of the petition by the leadership of the house at the Federal High court Lokoja with suit no FHC/LKJ/16/16 and for which hearing notice was granted by the Court dated 1st March 2015-6th April was contemptuous.
“The action of House of Representatives demonstrates not just a special interest but a vested interest which posed a serious danger” he said.
According to him, ” it is clear to me that what is playing out at the House of Representatives is not fat fetched from the plot of Hon James Faleke who is bent on bringing down at all cost the government of Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
The Majority Leader said that in 2012 when Bello Abdulahi was impeached in an uncompleted building with a carpenter harmer as a gavel of the house and Momohjimoh Lawal was made the speaker by seven members out of 25, James Faleke, Yakubi Dogara and Femi Gbajabiamila were all in the said House of Representatives at that time, the same House did not invoke section 11 (4) in spite of the petition submitted by Abdulahi Bello.
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Also speaking on the floor of the house, the Speaker Umar Ahmed Imam called on the National Assembly to take cognisance of the fact that the kogi state Assembly is not unable to perform its functions and that no such reason of any prevailing situation in the state has stopped the state Assembly from performing its constitutional or legislative functions .
According to him, the issue concerning the legality or ways and manners the former speaker was impeached are questions for determination in the Federal High Court
He accused the House of Representatives of acting on flagrant disobedience to the Federal High Court restraining the National Assembly from interference by seeking the appearance of same before it on determination of such matter as yo the competence of the House of Representatives to interfere on the functions of the state Assembly
He said that the continued action of the House of Representatives, despite the court injunction is not only prejudicial but abuse of court processes and in an insult on the preferred rule of law.