Activist Urges Kogi Assembly to Respect Court Ruling Backing Lawal as Speaker

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he Executive Director of the Centre for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), Lokoja, Kogi State, Idris Miliki Abdul has called on members of the fractious Kogi State House of Assembly to respect Thursday’s ruling of the Federal High Court Abuja upholding Hon. Momohjimoh Lawal as speaker.

He admonished all those concerned to allow peace reign in Kogi.

Crisis engulfed the Kogi legislative arm following Lawal’s purported impeachment on February 16, by five members, and their subsequent proclamation of Umar Imam as speaker.

Idris said that the decision of the court has vindicated their position that what went on since then at the assembly, including the passage of the state’s 2016 appropriation bill were illegal and unconstitutional, saying, “We wondered where the group of five derived its authority to conduct that illegal action on the 16th of February 2016. And more disturbing, was the shadow activities by the state executive led by the governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, in identifying with the illegal activities of the five honourable members and claim to the whole world that there was no crisis in the assembly”.

He called on all affected persons and organs of the state to respect the rule of law and obey the court pronouncement on the matter.

He added: “Now that an Abuja Federal High Court of competent jurisdiction has ruled that the purported impeachment of 16th February 2016, is null and void and of no effect, and that the principal offices purported to have been impeached including the speaker, Hon. Momoh-Jimoh Lawal, is illegal, we therefore call on the Kogi State Assembly to respect the court ruling and return to the pre 16th February 2016 status quo and continue with the legitimate business of the assembly in the interest of rule of law, good governance and democracy.

“We call on the state executive led by Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to respect and abide this court ruling and let peace reign in the interest of justice, fairness, democratic principles and separation of power, and to restore all privileges and entitlements that were denied to the Kogi State house of assembly members without further delay”.

Credit: Nation

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