The impeachment of Kogi State Deputy Governor Simon Achuba and the swearing-in of Edward Onoja as his replacement have sparked a new controversy in the Confluence State. Will the impeachemnt and swearing-in stand? Correspondent JAMES AZANIA examines the crisis in the Kogi All Prgressives Congress (APC) ahead of the November 16 governorship poll.
The battle between Governor Yahaya Bello and his deputy, Simon Achuba came to a head last Friday, with the impeachment of the latter by the Kogi State House of Assembly under questionable circumstances.
This was followed on Monday by the swearing-in of the former Chief of Staff, Edward Onoja, as the new deputy governor. Onoja had been screened by the lawmakers at the assembly complex in Lokoja, the state capital.
The swearing-in was performed by the Chief Judge (CJ) of Kogi State, Justice Nasir Ajanah, and witnessed by the Grand Khadi, Abdulkareem Aruwa, at the Lugard House for the ceremony.
The Assembly impeached Achuba, shortly after receiving the report of the investigative panel set up to look into the allegations of gross misconduct leveled against him, in spite of the fact that the panel did not indict him in the report. To many Kogites, the deputy governor was impeached in error.
The John Baiyeshea-led investigative panel has been accused of compromise by the House of Assembly, which set aside its report to impeach Achuba.
But, Achuba has declared that his impeachment was unconstitutional and that he will challenge it in court. He said his removal will not stand, as it is unconstitutional. “It is an illegality that will not stand the test of the judiciary,” he declared.
Onoja, who recently resigned his position as the Chief of Staff to the Governor, is the running mate to Bello, who is seeking a second term in office, on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
When the war of attrition between Bello and Achuba became full blown some months ago, the deputy governor had cried out that his boss was after his life.
Achuba said, shortly after moving out of the official residence on Sunday, that the swearing-in Edward Onoja, or anyone else “as they are planning will amount to continuation of illegality being perpetrated by Governor Bello”. He made the declaration during a press conference, which took place at his private quarters, in the Zone 8 area, in the capital.
He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to beam the searchlight on what he described as the lawlessness going on in Kogi State, to prevent the emergence of another form of insurgency in the country.
The former deputy governor said he had instructed his lawyers to commence the process of reclaiming his mandate and put an end to executive lawlessness.
Achuba said that he was treated like a common criminal, as the police were immediately drafted to prevent entry or exist from his official residence, after his impeachment. He said the security men came with technicians to disconnect him from public power supply. He added that they equally cut off the generator cables, after he had instructed an aide to put on the generator.
The disagreement between Bello and his former deputy became noticeable in 2016, after almost two years of working together.
Achuba became deputy governor by providence. He was picked over about five others, following James Faleke’s rejection of the position, after it was offered to him. Faleke was the running mate to the late Prince Abubakar Audu, who died shortly after the 2015 Kogi governorship election.
Bello inherited the Audu/Faleke votes, being the first runner-up at the primary.
Achuba gave an insight into the causes of the rift between him and the governor, at an earlier press conference. He attributed it to the series of advice he offered on the need for the Yahaya Bello-led administration to channel its energy on performance and delivery of the dividends of democracy to the people, including its obligation to the workers.
He said his advice elicited nothing but disdain from Bello and his inner cabinet. He said instead of focusing on delivering the dividends the governor opted to engage in “needless” wars against perceived enemies.
The government, however, came hard on Achuba, describing his motive as suspect and borne out of “blind rage”. It warned him against making such allegations, in the absence of any evidence to back it up.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Onogwu Mohammed, it described Achuba’s allegation as bogus and an “exhibition of a blind rage by an angry suckling with a long-term pattern of abnormal behaviour characterised by exaggerated feelings of self-importance”.
tHe statement reads: “The Kogi State Government is appalled that a Deputy Governor, who should epitomize leadership and good example in all senses could descend so low to employ smear campaign against the person of Governor Yahaya Bello and we state without equivocation that Mr Achuba has no shred of evidence for his reckless surmising, which is nothing but a scripted venture in ruinous adventure. We do not train assassins, and as such, the state government or her personnel cannot be involved in sending assassins to murder any human soul let alone a deputy governor of our dear state.
“Despite these unsubstantiated ramblings, however, we deem it fit to clear the air by letting the general public know that the Kogi State government would not be dragged into any form of political gerrymandering concocted for the furtherance of any person’s political interest or notoriety.
“We warn Mr. Simon Achuba, who is known to history as a man whose affinity for violence is unparalleled, not to judge us by his own standards. The report of the Kogi State Government Commission of Enquiry on the Iyaño ethnic crises in 2017 is still fresh in our memories.
“The Kogi State government led by Alhaji Yahaya Bello, therefore, rejects the futile attempt at seeking to link it to any assassination attempt on the deputy governor, and we advise that people should desist from seeking political capital from scenarios they imagine would advance their parochial cause, no matter how banal such causes may seem.
“Nigerians and Kogites in particular are aware that it is not in the character of the administration to persecute perceived opponents, let alone the second in command of the ‘New Direction’ team. We have remained a model for peaceful engagement and political dialogue. Any inclination at portraying us otherwise will not be acceptable.”
The administration’s move against Achuba got to the public domain sometime in November last year, with allegations that water and electricity supply to his official residence and office had been cut off.
Achuba alleged that the governor had detailed gunmen, to kill him and that the plan was no longer a secret. He laid the blame for the level of insecurity in Kogi, including kidnapping, ritual killings and armed robbery, at the feet of the state government.
He called the attention of President Mohammadu Buhari, the Inspector General of Police and the Director, State Security Service, to the planned attack on him, his aides and members of his family.
Just as he did during his last press conference, he called on the security agencies to beam their searchlight on Kogi, to forestall the emergence of another insurgency group.
Achuba had listed the non-payment of workers’ salaries, including his and those of his aides, among some of the issues in contention between himself and his former principal.
He said: “For more than one year now, none of these salaries have been paid. Now, imprest that comes to the Office of the Deputy Governor is statutory. Once salaries are paid, the salary of the Office of the Governor, including the security votes, are paid. Then, that of the Office of the Deputy Governor are also paid. If a governor refuses to do that, what do you call it? As the deputy governor, I have allowances and benefits that accrue to my office. There is a set standard of what ought to be paid. But, since the day I became deputy governor, I ceased to be a private citizen. If for two years, I have been traveling, and no entitlements were paid to me, won’t the governor feel ashamed of this?
“My concern is that we should leave a good legacy; the struggle is for the progress of my people. Up till today, there is hardly a project that can be pointed to. Look at the volume of money that has accrued to the state, such that even without (staff) screening, the money would have been enough to pay civil servants and undertake projects, but even with the money, look at what you have. If you look at the issues, many are very unnecessary; all the instructions are unnecessary.”
He accused of machinations that finally resulted to his impeachment as deputy governor.He said: What the former Chief of Staff was after is an office with immunity, “because of the misdeeds he has perpetrated”.
For those who cared to listen, Governor Bello has always made it clear that himself and his new deputy, who he refers to as his Siamese twin brother, are inseparable.
Achuba has not to throw in the towel. He said he will stay and help bring change to the system.
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