Following the allegations trailing the speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Hon. Momoh Jimoh Lawal over allegations of financial misappropriation and incompetence, crisis now rock the house as members are now routing to remove the speaker.
A member of the assembly disclosed to the media that the speaker has been arrogant and disdainful to members since his controversial election late last year.
Another relevant source said the removal is being spearheaded by the 13-member integrity group of the house, out of the 25 strength house members. While 10 out of the 12 members initially supporting the speaker, have now chosen to remain non-committal following the verification of the allegations.
He added that Lawal has lost touched with his colleagues over a lot of issues including the ways and manner the house is being run.
Allegations raised against the speaker, as gathered by Daily Times include the diversion of over N250 million appropriated to renovate the Assembly complex to personal use, misappropriation of the N10 million monthly subvention to the house and unjustifiable frequent abuses of house orders.
Other allegations include, gross incompetence, unilateral dissolution of house committees without any reason and refusal to give house schedules to members, among others
Since the plot to remove the speaker thickened, the house now rarely sits for fear of impeachment moves against him.
However, the speaker has been said to have gone to beg some PDP stakeholders in the state to intervene in the matter so as to stall the impeachment move.
But the stakeholders including a former governor of the state was said to have advised him to be more humble in his approach to issues relating to his colleagues and the handling of the affairs of the house
At one of the peace meetings held in one of the hotels in Lokoja recently, the speaker was said to have swallowed his pride and prostrated before the aggrieved members pleading with them profusely.
But three weeks after the peace talks, the speaker was said to have refused to change his posture, a situation which now made the aggrieved members to regroup for his removal
When news men confronted the speaker, Thursday to hear his own side of the story, he shunned them saying “I have no time for nonsense, it is Allah who put me in this position and it is only Him that can remove me”.
