Division In Kogi Assembly As House Declares Speaker’s Seat Vacant

Members of the Kogi State House of Assembly rising from long recess on Tuesday declared the seat of the immediate past speaker Umar Ahmed Imam member representing Lokoja I state constituency vacant for defecting from the APC. The Daily Independent gathered that the former Speaker dumped the APC for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to contest the August 11, 2018 lokoja/ Kogi Federal Constituency bye election. The decision to declare his seat vacant, is sequel to a letter sent to the House by the State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Bello, a motion moved by the House Majority Leader, Bello Hassan Abdullahi and a letter sent to the House by the former speaker announcing his defection from the APC. Seconding the motion and the letter sent to the House for the seat of the embattled former speaker to be declared vacant, the deputy majority leader Ahmed Muhammed ( APC Ankpa I) declared that the motion was timely. According to him, “there is no crisis in APC. The last time some members defected to the ruling APC the PDP was engrossed in crisis.” He added to the prayers that, “the former Speaker’s official vehicle should be withdrawn”. Deliberating on the letter, Momoh Jimoh Lawal (PDP Okene II), one time speaker of the House condemned the action of the All Progressive Congress and the motion moved by the majority leader. Momoh jimoh Lawal said: “I disagree with the APC and this motion to declare the seat of our colleague vacant. We are all aware that, at the national level, there is Reform APC which shows that there is crisis in the ruling party.” Other lawmakers who distanced themselves from the motion were Barrister Oluwatoyin Lawal ( PDP Yagba West), Zakari Osewu ( APC Kogi Koton Karfe ), Obaro Pedro, While those who supported the motion were Ododo Moses ( APC Dekina Beraidu), Abdulkareem Kekere ( APC Okehi), Lawi Ahmed (Okene I ), Adoke Muktar ( APC Adavi), John Aba (APC Ibaji), Jimoh Omiata (APC Yagba East). In his summation, the speaker of the house Mathew Kolawole who noted that he is on the side of the law on the matter before the house direct the Clerk to convene the resolution of the Assembly to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).]]>