Kogi: We ‘ll Soon Wield The Big Stick – APC Chairman …As Assembly Impeaches Speaker, Others

L-R: Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and President Muhammadu Buhari, arriving for a Presidential Dinner for members of the House of Representatives, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday.

The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, says James Faleke will be replaced as deputy governor-elect should the need arises.
Odigie-Oyegun said this in Abuja yesterday during an interaction with newsmen.
Faleke, who was running mate to late Prince Abubakar Audu in the November 21 gubernatorial election in Kogi State, rejected the same position after the party replaced Audu with Alhaji Yayaha Bello, who was runner-up in the party’s primaries.
Faleke demanded that the Independent National Electoral Commission should declare him governor-elect.
He chose Audu’s son, Mohammed, as his running mate.
He threatened to go to court if INEC failed to do so and had since gone to court.
But Odigie-Oyegun said on Wednesday: “On the Faleke issue, it is rather a straightforward and easy issue.
“We have replaced a governorship candidate.
“If the need arises and subject to what the law says, we will also get a deputy governorship candidate, but we will cross those bridges as they arise but they have not arisen yet.”
On Falake’s statement not to be available for swearing-in on January 27, 2016, Odigie-Oyegun said: “As a political party, we simply understand the frustration that emanated from the death of Abubakar Audu.
“However, it is normal for us to accommodate the immediate reactions coming from the people involved.
“They were at the gate of victory but the gate was shut in their faces because of the unfortunate death of their mentor, Abubakar Audu, who would have been our governor in the state.
“So, a lot of things, which normally we would not have accepted, happened but we have to accept them so long that everybody will simmer down as time pass by.
“Wielding the big stick in a situation like this might not be appropriate but there will be a timeline to it.
“Enough will be enough at a certain time.”
According to the chairman, issues in the state have been resolved in favour of the APC even as the entire polity had to be original to finding solutions to problems, which were not detailed in the Constitution.
Odigie-Oyegun said: “In the next few weeks, depending on who goes to court or who doesn’t, we will know the boundaries of the law in respect of these issues.
“As at now, we are very glad with the results that we have got and I’m very sure that they would be upheld virtually in every tribunal whatsoever, because we have adopted simple commonsense solution, legally defendable.”
Odigie-Oyegun said the party was not disturbed by the cases in court on the Kogi State situation, stating that it was still evolving.
He said: “We cross every bridge as we get to it.
“We’ll wait and see who does what and work out answers that meet each situation
“We have thought the process through and we have won the election in Kogi.
“Those we feel aggrieved, it is for them to call to question whatever they feel aggrieved about and we are going to meet them on those grounds.
“For us in APC, Kogi is a settled issue.
“If you want to go to the tribunal, we’ll meet you there.
“If you want to go to court, we’ll meet you there.”
Odigie-Oyegun said the party’s stance on the controversial Bill for an Act to Prohibit Frivolous Petitions and Other Matters, known as the Social Media Bill, was known.
He said the social media space needed clean up as the use of outright abuses and insults instead of constructive criticisms was wrong.
On fuel subsidy, he said: “Whether subsidy goes or stays is an intricate and major issue.
“If it has to go, the government must have to construct the palliatives to cushion the effect of the hardships that may come on the ordinary Nigerian.
“Anyway, eventually, subsidy will have to go but we have not reached that stage yet.
“You cannot just wake up and announce that subsidy has been removed without putting the adequate programmes in place to cushion the negative aspects that may be involved.”
The chairman told newsmen that minimum wage was a delicate issue because there were a lot of forces at work.
Odigie-Oyegun said: “the economy was run aground so badly that they have to borrow to pay salaries and this was not the creation of APC.
“Today, all governments are borrowing to pay salaries and that cannot be sustained.
“What the solution is on the longer term, the machinery of governance is still working on.
“There is no method that is adopted that will not create stresses on any system, but at the end of the day, we will find an answer.”
On Bayelsa State election outcome, Odigie-Oyegun said the party was not satisfied but said that since INEC had made a pronouncement on it, the option the party had was to accept it or go to court.
He said: “We are waiting for the processes to be concluded, but I must say we have a lot of reservations about what has gone on up till the present moment.
“If we win as we expect to win, the kind of reactions that we’ll take will be different.”
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Alhaji Momoh-Jimoh Lawal, was yesterday impeached by members.
Lawal was immediately replaced with Godwin Osiyi (APC-Ogori-Magongo).
The Deputy Speaker, Aliyu Akuh (PDP Omala), and Minority Leader of the House, Hassan Bello (APC-Ajaokuta), were also removed.
Briefing newsmen in Lokoja on the development, a member of the House, John Abah (PDP-Ibaji), said 17 members out of 25 signed the paper supporting the removal of Lawal (PDP-Okene II).
Abah stated that the former speaker, his deputy and the minority leader were removed for incompetence, greed, betrayal of trust, inadequate representation and lack of care for welfare of members.
Motion for the impeachment of the former speaker and the other two principal officers was moved by Ukubile Ochijenu-Acharu (PDP-Idah).
It was seconded by Zakari Mohammed (APC-Kogi Koton-Karfe)
Taking over, the new speaker, Osiyi, said the 25 members of the House were potential speakers as nobody was elected as speaker, recalling that Lawal became speaker after Abdullahi Bello was impeached.
The  impeachment move by members had earlier resulted in a fracas, which led to the hijack of the mace by hoodlums who invaded the chamber.
Reacting to his removal by 17 of the 25 members of the state Assembly, Jimoh-Lawal said due process was not followed in the said impeachment.
He said the signatures of lawmakers that reportedly supported his impeachment were forged, saying the police would be invited to investigate the matter.
“I remain the Speaker,” he asserted in a terse statement issue shortly after his removal was announced.