Impeachment: N’Assembly may take over Kogi Assembly

There were indications on Thursday that the House of Representatives might invoke constitutional provisions for the National Assembly to take over the Kogi State House of Assembly, owing to the
brewing crisis in the state assembly. Investigations showed that both the majority All Progressives Congress and the leading opposition Peoples Democratic Party caucuses in the House of Representatives began discussions on Thursday on how to prevent a possible breach of peace in Kogi State. Tension had mounted in the state since Monday after five out of the 20 members of the House announced the ‘impeachment’ of the Speaker, Momoh Jimoh-Lawal. The five also sacked the Deputy Speaker Mr. Alih Ajuh, and the Majority Leader, Mr. Kolawole Matthew.But on Wednesday, Jimoh-Lawal and 14 of his colleagues protested the “illegality” of the impeachment by filing a petition at the House of Representatives in Abuja. The petition was submitted to the Majority Leader of the House, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, for transmission to the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara.Findings indicated that the petition would be formally laid before the House on Tuesday next week. “What the House is going to do is to prevent a possible breach of law and order in Kogi State. “From what we have heard, the crisis will deepen and the House has a responsibility to invoke our laws to contain the situation before it gets out of hands,” a senior National Assembly official said on Thursday.