Kogi Lawmakers: We Did Not Stop N’Assembly from Taking over State Assembly

By Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja
 

The G-15 in the Kogi State House of Assembly loyal to the embattled Speaker, Hon. Momoh Jimoh Lawal, yesterday debunked ever asking the National Assembly to halt its planned take over of the state assembly.

The factional Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. Sunday Shigaba, who spoke on their behalf while reacting a publication by a national daily, expressed shock at the publication, saying they were completely taken off guard, insisting that Ademuyiwa Adeniyi, the purported counsel to the G-15, was unknown to them.

“We woke up to realise that a publication was made (online) purported to be attributed to G-15, and it took us by great shock, that somebody who we never authorised said that on our behalf. That we, the G-15, have written to the National Assembly to halt the takeover of the Kogi  State House of Assembly.

“We were taken aback, as we did not authorise anybody to do such on our behalf. I am surprised to see somebody trying to upturn our position upside down. We are the one who took our complain to the National Assembly, prompting their reaction and the whole world is aware of this, and we remain resolute.

“There is no way an insignificant minority can take over, because politics is a game of numbers. 

The publication is unfounded and targeted at misinforming on our position and to soil our integrity” he said.

The G-15 members comprising lawmakers loyal to the embattled speaker, Lawal, said they would continue to uphold the rule of law, notwithstanding sponsored publications targeted at soiling their integrity.

Five aggrieved out of the 20 lawmakers had reportedly impeached Lawal as the speaker on February 16, and named Umar Imam as replacement which resulted to crisis in the state assembly.

 The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, later instituted a 10-man investigation panel to look into the Kogi assembly crisis, at the end of which its affairs were taken over.

It later ordered the Inspector General of Police (IG) to seal the assembly complex, followed by the Senate, which concurred.