A human rights lawyer, Deji Ajare, has urged the Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Umar Yusuf, to begin the process of removing the Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, from office due to accusations of misconduct and misuse of power.
Ajare made the request in a letter sent to the speaker through the House clerk on Friday.
He stated that using the governor’s motorcade to help the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, escape amounted to sheltering a fugitive, obstructing justice, and misusing state resources.
The PUNCH reported that the Governor had whisked away his predecessor at about 4:20 pm on Wednesday, after operatives of the EFCC besieged the latter’s Abuja residence, to arrest him in connection with an N80.2bn money laundering case.
After his escape, the EFCC declared the ex-governor wanted, while the Nigeria Immigration Service placed him on its watchlist. The Inspector General of Police also has directed the withdrawal of all Police units attached to the former Governor.
Ajare, in his letter, also called on the KSHA to collaborate with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and ensure all individuals involved are accessible for questioning and investigations.
“In the light of the above allegations and the inherent potential breaches of statutory duties imposed by the Constitution and other relevant laws of our country, these actions, if proven true, amount to gross misconduct and warrant immediate investigation and commencement of impeachment proceedings.
“I hereby call on the Kogi State House of Assembly under your leadership to initiate a thorough inquiry into these allegations by Section 188 of the Nigerian Constitution, to ascertain the truth and to hold Governor Usman Ododo accountable if the allegations are found to be true.
“I also urge the Kogi State House of Assembly to collaborate with national law enforcement agencies, including the EFCC, to ensure all individuals involved are accessible for questioning and to facilitate a smooth investigation”, he said.
He further implored the State’s House of Assembly to take swift and decisive actions, noting the effect of the “misgovernance implied in these allegations” on the people of the state.
“I thank you as I look forward to your urgent attention to this issue. I trust in your commitment to uphold the Constitution and the laws of our land for the betterment of our state and its people”, the letter also read.
However, the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mohammed Yabagi, who spoke to our Correspondent via telephone, said neither the Clerk nor the Speaker had received such a letter.
Yabagi added that the House had not seen any valid reasons to begin impeachment processes against the governor and that there was no evidence that the governor prevented security agencies from arresting Yahaya Bello.
“Anybody in the public has their perception of the matter. But the House has not seen any reason, none of the members of the House were there, and none of them saw the Governor trying to prevent the security agencies from doing their job. As far as the Assembly is concerned, the Assembly supports all constitutionally recognised security agencies. We have not seen any reason why the House should commence any impeachment processes.
The Executive believes the former Governor was not in his Abuja home, and there's no solid proof that the Governor stopped them from doing their job. The House hasn't gotten the letter, and the Speaker doesn't know about it.
However, attempts to contact the Special Adviser on Media to the Kogi State Governor, Ismaila Isah, failed as his phone was turned off.
