The legislators made up of three senators and five members of the House of Representatives in a three-page statement titled: ‘Mr. President stop the reign of terror in Kogi State,’ has therefore pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to call Bello to order.
According to the lawmakers, “Governor Bello is busy using the security apparatus of the state at his disposal to intimidate, terrorise and unleash violence on holders of alternative political views to his.”
The statement signed by eight out of the 12- member Kogi National Assembly caucus, including Senators Dino Melaye, Atai Idoko, Ahmed Ogembe and Hon. Omale Atayoma.
Other signatories are Hons. Benjamin Okolo, Egwu Emmanuel, Yusuf Tajudeen and Karimi Sunday.
The legislators expressed concern about the recent developments in the state political landscape, saying: “Persons holding contrary political views with Governor Bello can no longer move freely within the state, neither can they hold political meetings or conduct political activities such as town hall meetings without violent interruptions by the state government and its agents.”
They also wondered that if as legislators they were prevented from constituency visits and carrying out empowerment programmes “ how would it be possible for elections to hold without violence in 2019.”
The legislators cited incessant attacks by Bello’s agents on the federal lawmakers to include “molestation and harassment of Senators Dino Melaye and Ahmed Ogembe and disruption of their empowerment progra-mmes by hoodlums allegedly sponsored by Bello on March 3 and July 29, 2018, respectively .“
The Kogi federal lawmakers also accused the state governor of muzzling the state legislators and flagrantly disobeying judicial pronouncements “and acting as lord unto himself and no one else can challenge him in any manner whatsoever despite our constitutional democracy and its well entrenched time tested principles if checks and balances.” The lawmakers further implored the international community to take note of the recent political happenings in Kogi State.
“We want to draw the attention of the world to the events in the political space in Kogi State at the moment which is a reign of terror, lawlessness and a regression to the archaic state of nature where life is, brutish and nasty and might is right. This is undemocratic,” the lawmakers said.
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