Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
The Forum of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) former Lawmakers in Kwara State House of Assembly yesterday described the decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC) 23 lawmakers in the state Assembly to suspend the lone PDP lawmaker, Hon. Raheem Agboola, as a ‘super legislative rascality’, abuse of the constitution and the rules of the Assembly.
Agboola for the second time last year was asked to stay away from the Assembly following alleged comments made in one of the radio stations in the state.
Since then, some PDP stakeholders in the state have condemned the decision of the state House of Assembly to suspend the lone PDP lawmaker in the Assembly.
However, speaking at a press conference in Ilorin, the spokesman of the forum of the PDP former lawmakers in the state House of Assembly, Hon. Abraham Ashaolu, said: “It is disheartening that the present set of APC lawmakers in the Assembly has turned themselves into punches in the hands of executive contrary to the growth of democratic tenets in the country.”
“It is quite unfortunate and a dent on our democracy to follow the shameful trend in the Kwara State House of Assembly where the only opposition figure in the Assembly, Agboola, representing Ilorin South state constituency, has been subjected to ridicule by other members from the APC who are under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
“The decision to ask him (Agboola) to stay away from the hallowed chamber, where he speaks in the interest of his constituency, is totally unlawful.
“Doing so without any tangible investigation as claimed, harassing him on the floor of the Assembly, blocking him from gaining access to the hallow chamber and again having the foolhardiness to reprimand him afterwards amount to super legislative rascality, abuse of the constitution and rules of the Assembly.”
The former lawmaker added: “The ninth members of the Kwara State House of Assembly need to cover their faces in shame for being the governor’s stooge, and allow Agboola to perform the duty his people elected him for.
“It must be reiterated here that the House of Assembly is a public institution whose integrity and sacredness have been built and preserved through hard work, uncommon sacrifice, commitment and high level of patriotism by all ex- lawmakers irrespective of the political party affiliations, and anything that can negatively rub off on the image of the Assembly should be our common concern.”
He noted that: “At various times in the past, we contributed our own quotas to the building of good image for the Assembly, and it is our collective desire that that integrity be preserved.
“Our major concern as key stakeholders in the state is to ensure peace and harmony in the state, as we view the actions of the ninth Assembly to be antithetical to the peace of our dear state.”
The forum also used the event to back the presidential bid of the state PDP Leader and former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki.
They said the former governor of the state possesses the leadership zeal that can move Nigeria forward.
The forum, therefore, called on other geo-political zones of the country to double their efforts to support Saraki in order to lead the country in 2023.
