Kogi Assembly factional members to file contempt charges against Dogara

Kogi State House of Assembly at its resumed sitting yesterday mandated its legal representatives to file a contempt of court case against the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and chairman and secretary of the 10-man House committee that claimed to have investigated the crisis in the Assembly.

The House also constituted a committee to further investigate sponsors of the crisis as well as members involved.The Assembly in its resolution also rejected the decision of the House of Representatives to take over their functions hinging their position on the provision of section 11 (5) of the Nigerian constitution.The majority leader of the faction, Friday Sani, had earlier moved the motion for which the resolutions were arrived at.

The factional Speaker Umar Ahmed Imam, who presided over the sitting of 10 members drew the attention of the House of Representatives to the issues concerning the legality or otherwise of the impeachment of the former Speaker before the Federal High Court for determination, adding that the National Assembly went ahead despite a court injunction.

In his words: “The continued action of the House of Representatives, despite the court injunction, is not only prejudicial but abuse of court process and in fact, insult on the preferred rule of law.”

The Speaker said for the House of Representatives to have gone ahead in passing a resolution to take over Kogi Assembly without fulfilling the constitutional provisions of section 11(4) and (5) is regrettable.

According to him, the Kogi State House of Assembly was in session, adding that it met and officially transacted its legislative business at both plenary sitting and at the committee meeting.

“I, therefore, call on the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to discountenance the concurrence sought by the House of Representatives and direct same to re-examine the prevailing situation with a view to finding lasting solution to the situation.”