PRESS RELEASE.
KOGI STATE GOVERNMENT
ABDULLAHI BELLO, FORMER SPEAKER, KOGI STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY: OUR POSITION.
The attention of the Government of Kogi State, has been drawn to a telephone interview granted by Hon. Abdullahi Bello,
the former Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly on Channels Television in the morning of Thursday 18th October 2012.
In the said interview, the impeached Speaker labored fiercely to trace the root of his travails to the Executive arm of government.
To be certain, Bello accused the state government of sponsoring his removal. He alleged among other things that he had a running battle with the governor over some irreconcilable differences. And to settle scores with him, the governor induced members of the house with large sums of money to facilitate his impeachment.
How convenient!
Essentially, Bello’s position is a rehearse of tissues of lies which have become well known in the ever active rumor
mills, since the sack of the leadership of the House of Assembly.
Ordinarily, and since the crisis engulfed the assembly, the executive has maintained neutrality. But much as the Government is not eager to join issues with the former Speaker, it is constrained to issue this statement to set the records straight and to educate innocent members of the public who may have been persuaded and misled by Hon. Bello’s infamous outing on Channels Television.
For the benefit of doubt, the government wish to state as follows:
1. The executive denies in very strong and unequivocal terms, Bello’s attempt to trace his woes to the executive under the leadership of Governor Idris Ichalla Wada.
Since assuming office early in the year, the Governor has remained committed to the principles of Separation of Powers as embedded in every modern democracy. The issues as contained in the impeachment notice, was purely an internal problem of the legislature. Therefore, any effort to link the good names of the governor and thereby tag him as the mastermind of the impeachment, is not only unfortunate, and puerile, but should be treated as a desperate attempt by somebody on a free fall with a view to diverting the attention of the public from the real issues as listed by Hon. Bello’s
colleague.
2. The former Speakers’ claim that he has been having problems with the Governor, without mentioning such problems sounds at best like a half truth.
3. The grounds for impeachment as contained in the impeachment notice which have been well reported in the media are
well spelt out and not vague. For any one in doubt, Bello and his cohorts were accused of poor leadership and high handedness. To be precise, the former Speaker was accused of being insensitive to the feelings of the citizenry as shown in his refusal to show reasonable concern first when 19 worshipers, and two soldiers on national assignment were gunned down by unknown persons in the Central Senatorial District and later during the flood that ravaged Nine Local Councils cut across the three Senatorial Districts of the Sate. He was accused of adjourning the House indefinitely and being absent during the visits of President Goodluck Jonathan and Senate President David Mark who separately paid solidarity visits to the flood victims.
4. It is true that members of the House paid courtesy call on the Governor to intimate him of the leadership change and to introduce the new leadership, in the spirit of Separation of Powers. Governor Wada was not in a position not to receive the legislators or any indigene of the state at any time they need to see him as partners in the development of the State. In fact, there is a standing rule for the top echelon of the judiciary and legislators to have express passage to see the Governor, whenever they so desire. Bello himself has been a beneficiary of that rule.
5. The allegation of financial inducement is satanic and most unfortunate. The profile of Governor Wada does not march the one currently being canvassed by Bello and his co-travellers. The Governor is a prudent manager of resources whose major concern is how to use the available resources to bring the good life to the people of Kogi State.
For purposes of emphasis, governor Wada is not one to meddle In the internal affairs of the legislature or any other arm of government. The former Speaker is therefore encouraged to locate his problems where they are and not enlarge the circle of his imaginary enemies.
Signed
Jacob Edi,
Special Adviser, Media and Strategy to the
Governor of Kogi State.
