Human Rights Group Carpets Kogi Assembly over Suspension of State Lawmakers, LG Bosses

Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja

Worried by the activities of the Kogi State House Assembly, the Conscience for Human Rights and Conflicts Resolutions (CHRCR) has carpeted the Legislative House for purportedly suspending nine of its members and eight local government council bosses from office.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Executive Director of CHRCR, Idris Miliki Abdul, a copy of which was made available to journalists in Lokoja at the weekend.

The group said it’s worrisome and dangerous to democratic development, stressing that  the legislators are supposed to be independent arms of government that set out their own rules and procedure,

It condemned the recent development where members are suspended at random, calling for caution, as legislators are elected to represent their constituencies and any suspensions carried out on any of them legitimately or otherwise have reflection and impact on the constituencies they represent.

According to the group, “More worrisome and condemnable is when local government chairmen heading other arms of government entirely have been suspended based on correspondence or complained from the executive arms of government and by extension chairman of a political party, is disturbing. Chairmen of LGAs were given suspension ahead of any committee reports, and this is worrisome in the democratic dispensation we find ourselves. What then should be the role of legislators at the local government level popularly refer to or call councillors?”