Kogi Assembly Crisis Resolved
Bello denies spending N750m to celebrate his birthday
The lingering crisis rocking members of Kogi State House of Assembly over leadership tussles may have been resolved.
The crisis started sometime in November last year, creating two factions among the assembly members namely G15 being led by the embattled Speaker, Hon. Momoh Jimoh Lawal, while the other one is G5 led by factional Speaker, Hon. Imam Umar.
The crisis which almost engulfed the state, saw the intervention of the National Assembly as committee was set up to look into the crisis.
In an effort to resolve the crisis, the House of Representative made a resolution ordering the takeover of the legislative functions of the assembly and sealing of the assembly complex.
Yesterday, a 10- man reconciliation committee headed by Mr. John Nihi, in a closed- door meeting with all the warring factions of the state assembly including the state Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello; his deputy, Mr. Simon Achuba, and other top government officials brokered peace between them.
Nihi, while speaking to journalists shortly after the closed-door meeting, said the crisis had degenerated to the level that the good image of the state was being battered, saying since no elders deemed it fit to reconcile the warring factions, the youths have stepped in to do the reconciliation.
He said they were happy that all the warring factions were ready to work together for the progress of the state, adding that by today, all issues would have been resolved. The governor, while speaking with journalists, said he still believed that there was no crisis in the assembly, adding that there was bound to be some misunderstanding but expressed satisfaction that the members have decided to forget their differences and come together.
He noted that they are all brothers and that what was happening was between two brothers, stressing that it has been a very wonderful deliberation.
“Like I said earlier, Kogi State has never been in crisis because in any home, there is bound to be misunderstanding.
The assembly members have reached agreement to set aside their differences and continue the business of legislation,” he said.
The spokeman of the G15, Hon Mathew Kolawole, who spoke shortly after the reconciliation meeting, said the two factions have agreed on some template for the total reconciliation of the crisis, adding that there was nothing that was permanent.
“The governor has spoken to us as his people and we the assembly members have agreed on certain templates and I am very sure by tomorrow (today), we will finish with our differences and the peace we have been looking for will return to the assembly.”