Kogi governor tackles Senate over derogatory comments
- The Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello, has reacted to the Senate’s comments, that he is a threat to democracy
- The governor told the lawmakers to be careful with their choice of words when sensitive issues are brought before them
- He insisted that he had no hand in the alleged attack on a senator from his state, and urged the senators to wait for the police investigation on the matter to be concluded
The Nigerian Senate has been carpeted by the governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello, for describing him as a threat to democracy, Daily Trust reports.
Bello made his comments via his director general, media and publicity, Kingsley Fanwo, in reaction to the Senate’s plenary of Wednesday, March 7, in which he was condemned by lawmakers for allegedly being involved in the attack on Senator Ahmed Ogembe in Okene, Kogi state.
Legit.ng gathers that the governor told the lawmakers to be careful about making such derogatory statements whenever they are deliberating on sensitive matters. The governor’s aide disclosed that an investigation had already been launched into the matter, and cleared his principal of any wrongdoing.
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He stated: “I think it is high time the Senate discovered that they are the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and not the Senate of the senators. They should protect every Nigerian; including the governor of Kogi state or Kaduna state or whichever state where they think their people are at loggerheads with their chief executives.
“They should be very careful in making sweeping statements. What happened in Kogi state was condemned. The governor of Kogi state has invested billions of naira to ensure there is peace and security in the state. They should wait for police investigation.
"When that of Dino Melaye happened, the senators used all forms of language on their floor to condemn the governor and used derogatory statements against the people and the Government of Kogi state; only for investigations to now find out that the whole thing was concocted.
“Now, the same senator has been charged to court for misleading the police. If Dino Melaye could do that, who says that Ogembe cannot organise his own event and also sponsor thugs to cause crisis there so that they can finger the governor and position Kogi as an unsafe place?”
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Recall that Legit.ng previously reported that the Nigerian Senate set up a committee to investigate the circumstances that led to the disruption and violence during the empowerment programme organised by Senator Ahmed Ogembe, and the police involvement in the dispute.
The committee was setup during plenary on Wednesday, March 7, after Senator Ahmed Ogembe alleged that the empowerment programme he is sponsoring was disrupted by thugs in Kogi state.
The lawmakers condemned the alleged attack on the senator, and described the situation between the governor and the senators from Kogi state as worrisome. The senators accused the Kogi state governor of abusing his office and noted that such conduct was not democratic.
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Source: Legit.ng
