High Court Judgment; No Cause for Alarm =Kogi Assembly Speaker Imam

In his swift reaction to the Federal High Court ruling in Abuja on Thursday, the speaker Kogi state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Umar Ahmed Imam says process that will lead to the final emancipation of the state has just begun. The speaker in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, CPS Umar Yakubu Ali Zaki, noted that “It’s true that the Court ruled in favour of the National Assembly having the power to perform the function of the Kogi State House of Assembly. We have never contended that fact. What is in contention is the extent which a State Assembly like Kogi State’s crisis will get to before its take over. This is the cross of the matter and several other lacuna that may require more court interpretation as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, (as amended) .

The statement which was made available to SECURITY MONITOR further stated that ” there is no cause for alarm as legal processes for further interpretation is on course. Its not about Rt. Hon. Imam, its about the New Direction for Kogi State. Its about moving Kogi State forward. In the meantime, Rt. Hon. Umar Ahmed Imam remains the Speaker, Kogi State House of Assembly and matters relating to the Assembly that are in various courts are there to seek for proper explanation that will bring about the solution for the Assembly to move forward and they are yet to finish the process”

Earlier on Thursday, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered parties to the suit involving the Kogi State House of Assembly to stay away from the assembly pending the determination of an application challenging the judgment of the court restoring the Speaker and other principal members.

Justice Nnamdi Dimgba gave the order on Thursday to enable the respondents file their response to the application.

Justice Nnamdi Dimgba had, in a judgment he delivered on June 19, 2016, reinstated the impeached Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Hon. MomohJimoh Lawal, the Deputy Speaker, Aliyu Akuh, and seven other Principal Officers of the Kogi State House of Assembly, saying the process that led to their purported impeachment on February 16, 2016, was unconstitutional and illegal.

Aside from the Speaker and his deputy, others the court also reinstated were Kolawole Mathew, Osiyi Godwin, Sunday Shigaba, Ndako Idris, Oluwatoyin Lawal, Musa Jimoh and Victor Omofaye. Specifically,

He said their removal was not in line with provisions of sections 90, 91, 92 (2) (c), 95 (1) & (2) and 96(1) & (2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The court voided the purported election of Umar Imam as the Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, as well as the emergence of four others; Friday Sani; Lawal A.T. Ahmed; Bello Abdullahi and John Abah as principal officers of the House