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The standoff in the Kogi State House of Assembly that has factionalised the House is a pathetic reminder of the defective growth of our democracy.
At the heart of the current crisis is the “impeachment” of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon Momoh Jimoh, by five of the 20 members of the Assembly. The “impeachment” was despite the support for Jimoh by 15 members of the legislature as at that time.
The development in Kogi is, however, not new among the country’s state legislative houses and political institutions which are known for their gross disregard for the laws guiding our democracy.
It will be recalled that the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) was, in 2013, factionalised when a group of 16 governors refused to submit to their majority 19 counterparts. Also, the Rivers State House of Assembly broke into two factions whereby five of the 32 members “impeached” the Speaker.
The crisis in Kogi boiled over with the thwarting of the legitimate attempt by the House of Representatives to take over the duties of the legislative body as spelt out in the constitution.
That move was countered by the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN) who, in a brazen, partisan manner that seemed to support Jimoh’s queer impeachment by the minority faction, ordered the Inspector General of Police to reopen the Assembly. This sparked off a face-off between the Attorney General and the House of Representatives.
The inability of the Kogi House of Assembly to work together has only compounded a series of crises that arose after the governorship election which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) controversially declared inconclusive.
Instructively, AGF Malami’s advice to the All Progressives Congress (APC) to provide a replacement for the late Alhaji Abubakar Audu in the subsequent rerun poll led to a lawsuit by Abubakar’s deputy governorship candidate, James Faleke, which remains unresolved and constitutes a precursor to the ongoing crisis in the Kogi House.
The crises in the body politic of Kogi State has become convoluted and may never be fully resolved unless the political interests and actors decide to sink their differences and put the state first.
We frown at the roles being played by the Attorney General of the Federation, Malami, who should have allowed the House of Representatives to carry out their constitutional role of legislating for Kogi State until its House of Assembly can sit in peace, form a quorum and effectively do their work as demanded by law.
Our political practitioners make a laughing stock of our democracy by frequently re-enacting the practice of minority groups, with the backing of the Executive, lording it over their majority counterparts.
Credit: Vanguard
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