Why assembly is in turmoil

In the meantime, the faction loyal to the embattled speaker, Umar Imam who tactically took over from Hon. Momoh Jimoh Lawal has defiled the purported takeover of their legislative duties.

As they continue their regular legislative business, the legislators have denounced the action of the House of Representatives and threatened contempt charges.

The legislature in the confluence state, as Kogi state is fondly called has been in the news for a whole wrong reasons, lately.

Since the emergence of Alhaji Yahaya Bello, following the demise of the All Progressives Congress (APC), candidate, Prince Abubakar Audu, in the midst of a governorship election on November, 21st 2015, many politicians have been aligning while others are realigning.

The swearing-in of Alhaji Yahaya Bello as governor of the state created a delicate political balance in the state. The young governor has since been fishing in trouble waters. The governor’s headache emanates from the need to pacify other ethnic groups in the state.

As it currently stands, the governor, speaker and the state chief Judge are all from the same ethnic group of Igbirra.

Sources close to the authority in Lugard house, who pleaded anonymity, told Pulse on Monday 14 March, 2016 that, in a bid to create a political balance in the state, the governor had shortly after he was declared governor, sent emissary to the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Momoh Jimoh Lawal to relinquish his speakership.

The Speaker who is a member of the People Democratic Party (PDP), allegedly vowed never to fall for the governor’s antics.

“In order to effect the speaker’s removal by other means, the governor, through his deputy, a former member and deputy speaker of the house, infiltrated the house and caused division” Isa Sani, a politician in the state said.

Though, Kogi State House of Assembly is made up of 25 members, the number had reduced to 20 at the time the governor was sworn-in on January 22,2016 because of judicial pronouncements.

Of the 20, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has 15 members while the All Progressives Congress (APC) has five.

A source said, the governor tried to adopt the strange mathematical equation witnessed during the governors’ forum election in the last dispensation. He said his statement is standing on the fact that five members of the governors’ party, the APC, moved against the speaker, but the experiment ended in a fiasco.

On why the Speaker of the House remains adamant, rumors are rife in the state that Momoh Jimoh is pre-empting the governorship election petition tribunal.

Another source said Momoh is eyeing the governorship seat in the event that, the election that produced Alhaji Bello is annulled and all the privileges of appeal exhausted, he might be sworn-in as acting governor, pending the conduct of a fresh election.

“In politics, the only thing that drives action is interest. The whole hullabaloo in the states’ House of Assembly is a game of political interests between two elephants, in which only the grass suffers” a member of the state house of assembly told Pulse.