Kogi Assembly Not Under Lock and Key – Aka

Kogi State House of Assembly has described as misleading and fake News, rumour making the round that the Assembly has been under lock and key.

The Assembly in a statement signed by Aka Adebayo Michael, the Director Information and available to The Drum Reporters in Lokoja, the State Capital described the News published on some online Media as an assemblage of lies.

Read full statement below

Re: Kogi Assembly Under Lock and Key

Ordinarily, Kogi State House of Assembly would not have given any dignity to the sponsor and writer of the write up.

“Kogi Assembly Under Lock and Key” with a response due to the fact that the writer only compiled tissues of lies together and sold to the reading public so as to justify the money he collected and because he only assembled lies, he was afraid he could be liable in a court of law, he was afraid to show his identity by way of putting his bye line.

However, there is need for the reading public to be acquainted with the facts as they are and nothing but the truth at all time and even as the 2023 general elections gather momentum.

It should be noted that besides the Honourable members who come for plenary sittings on agreed days, there are the Honourable Clerk of the House and civil servants as well as Kogi State House of Assembly Service Commission’s staff who come to work regularly and on daily basis to carry out their duties. This is to say, it is not only the state legislators that come for sittings in the State Assembly, the staff come to work daily.

Of a truth, at the last plenary sitting, the House adjourned till April 26th, 2022 but could not reconvene due to the Ramandan fasting. Subsequently, when the fasting was over and the public holidays followed, preparations for 2023 general elections started .

Though, the House would have reconvened but political meetings culminating in buying of interest and nomination forms by aspirants and thereafter submission of same and expected primary elections have not given room for the lawmakers to come for plenary sitting.

So to the best of the knowledge of the Hon Clerk of the House, Alh Sule Ahmed Chogudo, who is the Head of Legislative Service, the maze is not hidden.

There exists a cordial and robust working relationship between the executive and the legislative arms of government in the state.

And if the purpose of this write up is targeted at smearing this robust relationship, it is dead on arrival.

Reading through the ridiculous write up, one would conclude that it is targeted at the person of the Rt Hon Speaker who was alleged to be consistently involved in financial misappropriation. Why should such write up come up now at a time preparations for 2023 elections are on top gear.

In essence, the unfounded allegation is basically aimed at tarnishing the image of RT Hon Mathew Kolawole because of his rising political profile.

The writer said ” Our Reporter” without being bold enough to mention his medium is an indication that he wrote on assumption not truth.

The writer also lied that His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello was the one who directed that the State Assembly should be under lock and key. This is another naked lie that seekers of truth can easily verify. One wonders why the writer could not tell the readers the medium through which the press release was issued, the date of the release and the personnel who signed the release.

If indeed the Governor authorised the closure as alleged by the writer, why then should the same Governor ” continue to protect the Rt Hon Speaker from formal investigation…” as claimed by the faceless writer. There is no doubt that the sponsor and writer of this tissue of lies are confused and jealous and by all means are looking for the political downfall of the Rt Hon Speaker.

Aka Adebayo Michael

Director Information