Kwara Assembly Urged to Intervene in Suspension of PDP Lawmaker

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday called on the leadership of the National Assembly to intervene in the impasse at the state House of Assembly.

The state PDP described the continued suspension of the lone party member representing IIorin state constituency at the state House of Assembly, Hon. Jimoh Agboola, as a breach of justice and a threat to democratic governance in the country.

Agboola was last Wednesday asked to stay away from the Assembly for 14 days over an alleged breaking of the rules of the Assembly.

The lawmaker had early last year been suspended for three months for allegedly making comments on one of the radio stations in Ilorin.

However, in a statement issued by the PDP which was signed by its state Publicity Secretary, Mr. Tunde Ashaolu, the party stated that: “The decision of the leadership of the Assembly to reprimand Agboola by suspending him for 14 legislative days over baseless accusations of contempt and breach of privilege of the Assembly is an insult to the cognition of Kwara people.”

The statement said: “It is easy to lay accusations, but it is another thing to present evidence to back it up, something the Assembly failed to do all these while.

“It is regrettable and disappointing when the Kwara PDP learned that gross injustice has yet again prevailed at the state House of Assembly, as the only opposition party members in the Assembly, Hon AbdulRaheem Agboola, is being denied entry into the Assembly.

“It would be a horrendous mistake on the part of the Assembly members to think Agboola would be a soft target for them to pick on due to his numerical disadvantage, but they should have it in mind that he is there to represent thousands of people of his constituency.”

Ashaolu added: “The height of it all now is that the lawmaker’s seat on the floor of the Assembly has been removed. It is really disappointing that these revered members of the society could reduce themselves to such level of pettiness.

“The fact that the beleaguered lawmaker is being alienated in an Assembly that belongs to all of us will doesn’t make sense.

“It is quite unfortunate that this present administration is trading uprightness and justice for mere politicking, and it is so shameful that our Assembly has reduced itself to mere rubber stamp legislature pocketed by the state Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.”

The PDP noted further that: “We want the state governor and the leadership of the Assembly to understand that the world is watching this injustice, but it will be wise for them to know that posterity will judge everyone that has been invested with a certain responsibility or power.”

The party, however, called on the National Assembly, precisely the Speaker and the Senate president, to save Nigerian democracy by urgently curbing “this anti-democratic tendency in the state.”