Kogi Assembly Petitions IGP, DSS, over Alleged N200m Bribe

A bribery scandal involving some N200 million has rocked the state House of Assembly in the confluence state of Kogi.

 

Ibrahim Idris

 

The Kogi State House of Assembly is to petition the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris and the Department of State Service (DSS) over an alleged publication of collecting N200M bribe from governor Yahaya Bello.

 

The petition is sequel to an online publication credited to the National coordinator of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Youth Frontier, Austin Okai that the House approved N10b loan request from the Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to get the huge sum of money.

 

The 15 members present at Tuesdays plenary all debunked the allegation, describing it as satanic and wicked on the part of the source.

 

They challenged the writer to bring forth documents to back up his claims, adding that the house never approved any N10b loan coming from the executive.

 

Raising the allegation in the floor of the House, Haruna Idoko (APC Idah ) while fuming at the said publication which according to him went viral on the social media noted that it was aimed at indicting members and discrediting their names before those they are representing in the state.

 

Supported by Kekere Abdulkareem (APC Okehi) and Jimoh Omiata (Yagba East) both lawmakers frowned at the allegation saying the publication lacks merits. They both suggested that Okai should be invited to the House to explain with documents to back up his claims.

 

In his rulings, the speaker Mathew Kolawole disagree with the invitation of the PDP youth coordinator, noting that he (Okai) is known for tarnishing individuals’ image in the state.

 

According to him, ”there was never at any point in time that we approved #10 billion naira loan from the executive. Also, i read that #200, 000000 was shared among our colleagues which is never true.

”It is an indictment on all the members in this hallow chamber. Austin Okai is someone that is deceitful. I was in the United state alongside side the deputy speaker for the United Nation submit when i saw all this false allegations circulating within the social media”.

 

Meanwhile, the lawmaker representing Lokoja II in the Kogi State House of Assembly, Idris Ndakwo (PDP) has defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

 

In his defection letter read before the House by the Speaker, Mathew Kolawole, the new APC lawmaker said this was born out of good leadership purpose to see that his constituents benefit from the dividends of democracy.

 

The letter reads in part, "As we all know, it is no longer a news that Democracy is all about development, i have gene for wider consultation with my constituents to enable me shift to pave way for more dividends of Democracy in our constituents on which i received overwhelm support of 92% of my electorates that gave me go ahead for the defection.

“I am humble, faithful, diligent and peaceful man to my party, the People Democratic Party (PDP), but my party did not appreciate my loyalty, humbleness, faithfulness and diligent through out what the party was passing through.

”Instead of appreciating me and joining me to deliver my campaign promises, some of the stakeholders engaged in fighting me for their zoning agenda since my one year in office”.