BREAKING NEWS, Political Briefs
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THE Senate has agreed with the House of Representatives to take over the Kogi State House of Assembly.
The decision was taken following the adoption of an earlier resolution by the House of Representatives which urged the National Assembly to rescue the Kogi House of Assembly from its present political crisis which has prevented it from performing its legislative responsibilities to the state.
The prayers of the resolution adopted by the Senate read: “In view of the fact that the Kogi State House of Assembly cannot perform its legislative functions due to intractable crises and volatile security situation in the state, National Assembly hereby invokes the powers conferred on it by Section 11 (4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to take over the legislative functions of the Kogi State House of Assembly pending the restoration of normalcy in the Assembly.’’
Similarly, the senators nullified the impeachment proceedings embarked upon by five members of the Kogi State House of Assembly against some principal leaders of the House.
The Senate noted the role played by the Nigeria Police, saying it subverted “the provisions of the constitution by providing cover for only five members out of the 20 members of the Kogi State House of Assembly to commit illegalities.”
It, therefore, directed the inspector general of Police, IGP, to seal the Kogi House of Assembly complex until further notice.
The only attempt by Dino Melaye, senator representing Kogi West, to stop the Senate from concurring with the lower chamber was quickly overruled by Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Senate president.
Melaye had argued that the move to take over the functions of the Kogi State Assembly was pending in court, adding that the Senate should comply with its standing rule and reject the request for concurrence.
But Mohammed Ali Ndume, Senate majority leader, who led the debate on the motion to concur with the House of Representatives, said that the time had come for the National Assembly to exercise its constitutional powers to prevent democracy from being frustrated in Kogi State.
After explaining in details the intricacy of the matter, Saraki said the takeover of the Kogi State Assembly was imperative, pointing out that “we must take action quickly to restore normalcy and return Kogi State House of Assembly back to the members. I think this is the responsibility we must perform as quickly as possible.”
— Mar 28, 2016 @ 01:00 GMT
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