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Tag: Umar Imam

  • Kogi: Former Speaker’s seat declared vacant

    The Kogi State House of Assembly on Tuesday declared the seat of the immediate past speaker, Umar Imam (Lokoja I) vacant.

    It would be recalled that Imam, who is contesting in Saturday’s bye election for the Lokoja/Kogi federal constituency recently defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), on grounds that the party is in crisis.

    The former speaker sent a letter to the house, announcing his defection to a new party.

    The declaration of his seat as vacant was sequel to a letter sent to the house by the Kogi APC chairman, Abdullahi Bello, following which a motion was moved by the house Majority leader, Bello Hassan Abdullahi.

    Read Also: N’ Assembly siege unacceptable – Osinbajo

    Seconding the motion for the seat of the embattled former speaker to be declared vacant, the deputy majority leader, Ahmed Muhammed (APC-Ankpa I) declared that the motion was timely.

    According to him: “There is no crisis in APC. The last time we defected to the ruling party, the PDP were in crisis.”

  • Kogi gets new Speaker

    Kogi gets new Speaker

    Hon. Mathew Kolawole (Kabba-Bunu) on Thursday emerged as the new Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly.

    Umar Imam quit as speaker of the House earlier on Thursday morning and his letter of resignation was read on the floor of the House by the Deputy Speaker, Hassan Abdullahi.

    The House had adjourned sitting indefinitely following the fracas that ensued at the assemby complex on Tuesday.

     

  • Nine-member Kogi assembly suspends embattled speaker, others

    Nine members of the Kogi State House of Assembly loyal to Hon. Umar Imam, have suspended “10” of their colleagues, including the embattled speaker, Hon. Momoh Jimoh Lawal, for their alleged involvement in the leadership crisis rocking the legislative chambers since November, last year.

    The suspension order issued on the floor of the assembly at plenary on Tuesday followed the adoption of a report of the ad-hoc committee commissioned on March 10.

    The committee was charged with investigating “the sponsorship of the crisis and involvement of the National Assembly and its failure to ensure due process even at the instance of a court injunction”.

    Chairman of the committee, Hon. John Abah (PDP-Ibaji), while presenting the report said the committee found that the House of Representatives was misguided by ”interested members who had an interest in the crisis.”

    He said that the situation in the state had not deteriorated into a breakdown of law and order for the National Assembly to exercise its powers in invoking section 11(4), and leaving out the provision of 11 (5) of the Constitution.

    He added: “The 10 members had persistently fuelled the crisis and made it extremely difficult for the house to resolve the leadership impasse peacefully for the house to carry out its lawful and constitutional responsibilities”.

    The committee, according him, recommended that all legal processes instituted in various courts be exhaustively determined to ensure due process, rule of law and justice to all parties.

    Others suspended include Matthew Kolawole (PDP-Kabba-Bunu), Aliyu Akuh (PDP-Omala), Victor Omofaiye (PDP-Ijumu) andSunday Shigaba (PDP-Bassa).

    Others are Alfa Momoh-Rabiu (APC-Ankpa II), Enenche Linus (APC-Olamaboro), Obaro Pedro (APC-Mopa-Muro), Ndako Idris (APC-Lokoja II) and Zakari Osewu (APC-Kogi-KK).

    Seconding the motion for adoption of the report, the factional Majority Leader, Friday Sanni (PDP-Igalamela-Odolu) urged the house to adopt the three recommendations of the committee.

    The Speaker, Umar Imam in his ruling adopted the recommendations as prayed following overwhelming voice votes in favour of the report.

  • Kogi: G-5 lawmakers shun Reps’ committee

    The Umar Imam-led Kogi State House of Assembly factional leadership on Thursday shunned the House of Representatives fact-finding committee on the Assembly crisis.

    The 10-member committee headed by the Deputy Chief Whip of the House, Hon. Kelly Irise, held meetings with various stakeholders in the state political structure, including the state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the Department of State Security Service, the police and the 15 lawmakers loyal to the embattled Speaker, Momoh jimoh Lawal.

    The Iman group was conspicuously absent at the House of Assembly venue of the parley initiated to investigate the causes of the lingering crisis in the Assembly.

    Addressing journalists at the end of its closed door session with members of the G-15, Irisse expressed satisfaction with has been achieved so far, saying the committee will submit its report to the House at the end of the exercise.

    He doused any fear of uncertainty occasioned by the absence of G-5 members, saying they were duly notified on the visit and invitation extended to them.

    He said, “They were duly informed but they chose not to be heard. We will submit all that we have collected to the House of Reps that sent us here.”