Hon. Abdulahi Bello, impeached Speaker

By Shola Oyeyipo

The fact finding committee of the House of Representatives set up to wade into the crisis rocking the Kogi State House of Assembly following the impeachment of the Speaker, Hon. Abdulahi Bello, Monday suspended the Assembly’s activities.

The mediation committee led by the Deputy Chief Whip, Hon. Ahmed Muktar Mohammed (PDP, Niger), with Hon. Ibrahim Tukur El-Sudi, Sokonte Davies, Pally Eriase, Nkem Abonta, Ali Ahmad and Jagaba Adams Jagaba which sat at the chamber of the Assembly, said its purpose is to ensure that the constitution of the country was not breached.

However, a new twist was added to the circumstances surrounding the impeachment of Bello when some of the lawmakers that purportedly carried out the plot were unable to present the signed document containing the names of the 17 members that signed the document.

Meanwhile, a legislator, Hon. Lawal Abdulahi, who was alleged to have signed the document, vehemently denied being part of the plot.

While the anti-Speaker lawmakers protested that they were not informed of the sitting, the committee, insisted that aside the fact that the sitting was announced on NTA, the Clerk of the Assembly was told to inform members.
Sixteen of the 25 lawmakers were however in attendance.

At the end of the sitting, the committee chairman, Hon. Mohammed, said all the activities of the Assembly have been suspended pending the determination of the facts of the matter.

“We have informed the Inspector-General of Police, which has been communicated to the Commissioner of Police and the SSS that no sitting should be allowed till we conclude our fact finding mission,” Mohammed stressed.