The Kogi State House of Assembly said the three impeached and suspended members of the House were black legs whose stock-in-trade was to cause disharmony between the executive and legislative arms of government.
The house position followed the deliberation on the discovery that the suspended lawmakers allegedly forged members signatures in what the house described as evil machinations to impeach the Speaker.
Three lawmakers, Ahmed Ahmed, former Deputy Speaker, Abdullahi Bello, former Majority Leader and Moses Ododo, former Chief Whip, recently impeached and suspended, had in a statement, claimed to have impeached the Speaker by a notice signed by 19 members.
Consequently, the House at its plenary on Wednesday, ordered it’s Ethics and Privileges committee to commence investigation into the alleged forgery.
The members, whose signatures were found in the documents, have denied ever signing any impeachment notice against the Kogi Speaker, Mathew Kolawole.
All the members who spoke on the issue, maintained that they at no time signed any impeachment notice.
According to them, the signatures attached to the purported impeachment notice were signed by members in May, endorsing the presidential aspiration of Governor Yahaya Bello.
They accused the former Kogi deputy speaker of betrayal of trust, pointing out that the signatures collected to serve as attachment to the communique endorsing Governor Yahaya Bello’s presidential ambition was maliciously used by him to further his inordinate ambition of removing the speaker
Members maintained that though, the members were already on suspension, the issue should be thoroughly investigated and appropriate punishment meted on them, to serve as deterrent.
The House described the action of the former Principal Officers as shameful, reprehensible and demanded an unreserved apology from them.
Ruling on the matter, the Kogi Assembly Speaker, Prince Mathew Kolawole described the action as a gross violation of the house Rules and Privileges.
The speaker, therefore, directed the Chairman, Ethics and Privileges to do a diligent investigation on the matter by giving the accused members fair hearing and report back to the house.
He, however, gave no time frame for the submission of the report.
He also thanked the members for believing in him, promising that the house under his leadership, would continue to work harmoniously with the executive to provide the much needed dividends of democracy to the people of the state.
Members who disowned the impeachment notice at plenary are Ahmed Dahir, Isah Umar, Enema Paul, Atule Egbunu, Ibrahim Usman Okadigbo, Suleiman Musa Atajachi.
Others are Bobby Anthony Ujah, Aro Aderonke, Musa Jimoh, Akande Moses. (NAN)
