Blame Faleke for crisis rocking Kogi Assembly – Majority Leader

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.