The Kogi State House of Assembly, KSHA, on Monday, has called for the immediate removal of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, for “unprofessional” handling of the case against the immediate past Governor of the state, Yahaya Bello.
The Assembly, while also passing a resolution, commending President Bola Tinubu, for his economic policies aimed at building a strong and virile economy, had earlier, asked the EFCC to vacate the ‘wanted’ tag that it placed on the name and person of Bello, during plenary in Lokoja, called Olukayode tactic to question.
They also condemned what they described as the EFCC operatives’ attack on the Kogi State Government Lodge, saying it was an attack on the Governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, and the entirety of the Kogi people.
The Speaker of KSHA, Rt. Hon. Aliyu Yusuf, who read out the resolution of the House, stated, “The House formally categorizes the April 17 and September 18 incidents as assassination attempts on the former Governor, and by extension, a threat to the life of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo.
“The unprovoked attack on the Governor’s Lodge and the firing of live rounds within a diplomatic residential zone further demonstrate that the EFCC has fully marinated in a sense of its own importance and power and now considers itself not only above the law but unanswerable to anyone or institution for its actions”, he added.
Rt. Hon. Aliyu Yusuf further stressed, “Because the EFCC Chairman has shown constantly, gross incompetence, the House has resolved that the President should relieve him of his appointment with immediate effect and replace him with a competent officer who will give Mr. President’s crusade for rule of law the needed effectiveness.
This followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by Hon. Akus Lawal, representing Ankpa 1 State Constituency. Hon Jacob Olawunmi, Mopamuro State Constituency, seconded the motion.
Hon. Akus said the EFCC was out to humiliate and possibly kill the present and former governors, an argument also chorused by other lawmakers.
Hon. Olawumi, who seconded the motion, stressed that the Audited Financial Reports of the State had always been published by the State Government, saying, “the State House of Assembly can categorically say that no money is missing to warrant EFCC’s unwarranted witch-hunting of the former Governor.”
They specifically said the EFCC boss should be prosecuted for allegedly attempting to kill the governor. He called on the president to remove him immediately, as EFCC’s conduct shows that the chairman is incapable of leading a supposedly impartial agency like the EFCC.
Hon Bode Ogunmola, Ogori/Magongo State Constituency (PDP), said, “If I am in London and there is a crisis, if I get to the Nigerian House, I will feel safe. If I am in Abuja and there is a crisis, I believe that if I get to the Kogi Lodge, I will be safe.
“:For the EFCC Chairman to order that fire be opened on the official lodge of the Governor, he should be sacked and prosecuted. We should be told why he wants to kill our Governor.”
The Majority Leader of the House of Assembly, Hon. Suleiman AbdulRazak, added that officials of the EFCC were begging the former Governor to let them pretend as if he was arrested, saying it was an embarrassing act, which showed that the anti-graft agency was acting on a script written by some political enemies of the former governor.
The lawmaker therefore said the president should be notified of the assassination attempt on the present and former Governors; adding that the whole drama was a show to embarrass the former Governor.
On her part, the Deputy Speaker, Rt Hon. Comfort Nwuchiola Egwaba, wondered why, “The EFCC is just trying to give the former Governor a bad name through their media trial. The EFCC is not sincere in this fight. It has an agenda it is pursuing and the entire people of the state, particularly the women and youths, will not accept this.
