Vacant ex-speaker’s seat: Kogi Assembly makes U-turn

By  Friday Idachaba

The Kogi House of Assembly has reversed its resolution declaring Lokoja I State Constituency seat vacant following the defection of its lawmaker, Alhaji Umar Imam, from the APC to the SDP.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the reversal followed the adoption of a motion moved by Majority Leader, Hassan Bello, on the floor of the House at plenary in Lokoja on Wednesday.

Bello, while raising the motion, had recalled that the seat was declared vacant through a resolution of the House on Tuesday, August 7, 2018, following the defection of Imam, a former Speaker of the House.

He also recalled that the House had invoked Section 109 (1) (g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 As Amended, to declare the seat vacant.

“When we did that, we were of the opinion that it was wrong for Imam to have defected from the APC that sponsored his election into the House.

“But since Imam has returned to the APC and corrected that mistake, he deserves to take back his seat,” he said.

Seconding the motion, Ahmed Mohammed (APC/Ankpa I) confirmed that Imam had reconciled his differences with the APC and was fully back to its fold.

NAN reports that the Speaker, Mr Matthew Kolawole, had earlier read a letter from Imam and another from the state chairman of APC, Abdullahi Bello, intimating the House of the former Speaker’s return to the party.

This, Bello said, was after three month sojourn with the SDP.

Kolawole, after a voice affirmation adopting the motion, directed the Clerk of the House to communicate the reversal of the Aug. 7 resolution to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

NAN reports that Imam defected from the APC on July 22, citing division in the political fold as his reason for jumping out.