Reps summon Malami, Arase over ‘violation of N’Assembly powers’

Kogi Assembly suspends 10 members over role in crisis
The House of Representatives yesterday summoned the Attorney General of the Federation and Justice Minister, Mr. Abubakar Malami, to explain why he usurped the powers of the National Assembly.

Also ordered to appear before a 22-member ad-hoc committee panel led by the House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, is the Inspector General of police (IGP), Mr. Solomon Arase.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion moved by Mr, Nicholas Ossai (Delta/PDP) who drew the attention of the lower legislative chamber to the directive by the justice minister, which be described as unwarranted and unlawful.

Meanwhile, factional members of the Kogi House of Assembly have suspended 10 members of the House for their alleged involvement in the leadership crisis rocking the House.

The suspension order was issued on the floor of the Assembly at plenary yesterday following adoption of a report of the ad-hoc committee commissioned on March 10.

The members include the embattled speaker, Momo-Jimoh Lawal (PDP-Okene II), Matthew Kolawole (PDP-Kabba-Bunu), Aliyu Akuh (PDP-Omala), Victor Omofaiye (PDP-Ijumu) and Sunday Shigaba (PDP-Bassa).

Others are Alfa Momoh-Rabiu (APC-Ankpa II), Enenche Linus (APC-Olamaboro), Obaro Pedro (APC-Mopa-Muro), Ndako Idris (APC-Lokoja II) and Zakari Osewu (APC-Kogi-KK).

Presenting the report, Chairman of the committee, Mr. John Abah (PDP-Ibaji) said the 10 members had persistently fuelled the crisis and made it extremely difficult for the House to resolve the leadership impasse peacefully.

The Speaker, Umar Imam in his ruling adopted the recommendations of the report. Gbajabiamila, in his contribution faulted reasons advanced by the attorney general for the order to open the Kogi State House of Assembly complex. Quoting copiously from both the constitution and the House rule, he asserted that the attorney general and justice minister clearly erred by directing the police authorities to open the Assembly for legislative activities despite a subsisting resolution of the National Assembly.

Speaker Yakubu Dogara, who presided over the proceedings, described the order by the justice minister as a sensitive matter that should be treated with seriousness.