Count me out of Kogi assembly crisis, says Bello

Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi state, says he has no hand in the leadership crisis currently rocking the Kogi state house of assembly.

On Tuesday, five out of the 25 lawmakers impeached Jimoh Lawal, speaker of the assembly and elected Umar Alfa to replace him.

Some lawmakers opposed to the impeachment accused Bello of being behind the development.

But in a statement issued on Thursday, Abdulkarim Abdulmalik, Bello’s media aide, described the allegations linking him to the crisis as “spurious and unfounded”.

“The attention of the governor of Kogi State, Alh. Yahaya Bello has been drawn to the spurious allegations by some group of legislators in the legislative arm of Kogi state to the effect that the Governor was the person stoking crisis in the assembly,” the statement read.

“The governor wishes to inform the general public that he has never interfered in the affairs of the state legislature in line with his determination to promote the rule of law and strict adherence to separations of power.

“To drag the name of the governor to the crisis in the Kogi state house of assembly is in the least, uncharitable. The crisis in the house of assembly predates the present administration in the state.

“It would be recalled that before the advent of the present administration, the assembly crisis assumed a violent dimension when vehicles belonging to the different caucuses in the house were vandalized.

“The governor urges all aggrieved parties in the assembly to close ranks and work in unity for the progress of the state. He also pledges continued collaboration with the legislative arm to actualize his dream of a better Kogi state.”